Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 27

Cosmic Manifestation, Mahāmāyā’s Mandate, Varṇāśrama-Dharma, and the Unity of the Trimūrti

Devanagari script

अनादिनिधना दिव्या वागुत्सृष्टा स्वयंभुवा / आदौ वेदमयी भूता यतः सर्वाः प्रवृत्तयः

Transliteration

anādinidhanā divyā vāgutsṛṣṭā svayaṃbhuvā / ādau vedamayī bhūtā yataḥ sarvāḥ pravṛttayaḥ

Translation

Jene göttliche Rede (Vāk), ohne Anfang und ohne Ende, wurde vom Selbstgeborenen (Brahmā) ausgeströmt. Zu Beginn war sie von der Natur der Veda, und aus ihr entspringen alle pravṛtti — alle Bahnen von Handeln und Übung, menschlich wie kosmisch.

Word by Word

• अनादि-निधना: beginningless and endless
• अनादि-निधना: विशेषण (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनादि (प्रातिपदिक) + निधन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; द्वन्द्वः (अनादिः च निधनं च) → “without beginning and without end”; agreeing with वाक्

• दिव्या: divine
• दिव्या: विशेषण (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; agreeing with वाक्: “divine”

• वाक्: speech
• वाक्: कर्ता (Karta/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाच् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; Nominative singular feminine

• उत्सृष्टा: emitted/uttered
• उत्सृष्टा: कर्मणि-क्रियाविशेष (Predicate participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उत् + सृज् (धातु) → उत्सृष्ट (कृदन्त-क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; “having been emitted/uttered”

• स्वयंभुवा: by the Self-born
• स्वयंभुवा: करण (Karaṇa/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वयंभू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; Instrumental singular: “by the Self-born (Brahmā)”

• आदौ: in the beginning
• आदौ: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययीभूतम् (locative used adverbially); “in the beginning”

• वेद-मयी: consisting of the Veda
• वेद-मयी: विशेषण (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक) + मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; “made of/consisting of the Veda”; agreeing with वाक्

• भूता: having become
• भूता: कर्मणि-क्रियाविशेष (Predicate participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु) → भूत (कृदन्त-क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; “having become/being”

• यतः: from which
• यतः: अपादान (Apādāna/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सम्बन्धाव्यय (relative adverb/अव्यय), अपादानार्थे; “from which/whence”

• सर्वाः: all
• सर्वाः: विशेषण (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; agreeing with प्रवृत्तयः: “all”

• प्रवृत्तयः: activities
• प्रवृत्तयः: कर्ता (Karta/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रवृत्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; Nominative plural feminine: “activities/operations”

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator (contextual teaching within the Kurma Purana’s cosmological discourse)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Svayambhū (Brahmā)
• Vāk
• Veda

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

How does this verse explain the nature of the Supreme Self (Atman)?

By presenting Vāk as beginningless and Veda-embodied, the verse points to a timeless sacred principle underlying manifestation; it implies that the highest truth is accessed through revealed wisdom (Veda) rather than merely human construction.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse foregrounds mantra and Vedic revelation as the root of all pravṛttis; in the Kurma Purana’s broader Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis, disciplined recitation (japa), study (svādhyāya), and contemplation grounded in Vedic speech become prerequisites for higher Yoga, including Pāśupata-oriented inner purification.

How does this verse depict the relationship between Shiva and Vishnu?

Indirectly: by rooting all authentic practice in Veda-embodied Vāk, it supports the Purana’s non-sectarian framework where both Shaiva and Vaishnava paths claim Vedic authority, encouraging unity through shared scriptural ground rather than rivalry.