Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 48

Viṣṇu at Upamanyu’s Āśrama: Pāśupata Tapas, Darśana of Śiva, and Boons from Devī

Devanagari script

एवमुक्त्वा ददौ ज्ञानमुपमन्युर्महामुनिः / व्रतं पाशुपतं योगं कृष्णायाक्लिष्टकर्मणे

Transliteration

evamuktvā dadau jñānamupamanyurmahāmuniḥ / vrataṃ pāśupataṃ yogaṃ kṛṣṇāyākliṣṭakarmaṇe

Translation

So sprach der große Weise Upamanyu und verlieh Kṛṣṇa die geistige Erkenntnis—samt dem Pāśupata-Gelübde und seiner Yoga-Disziplin—, ihm, dessen Handeln rein war, frei von Leid und Unreinheit.

Word by Word

• evam: thus
• evam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• uktvā: having said
• uktvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: Kṛdanta (कृदन्त), absolutive/gerund (क्त्वान्त), from √vac ‘to speak’; expresses prior action

• dadau: gave
• dadau: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: Tinganta (तिङन्त), Luṅ (लुङ्, aorist), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), singular (एकवचन)

• jñānam: knowledge
• jñānam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jñāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• upamanyuḥ: Upamanyu
• upamanyuḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: upamanyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन), proper noun

• mahāmuniḥ: the great sage
• mahāmuniḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); compound: ‘great’ + ‘sage’

• vratam: vow/observance
• vratam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• pāśupatam: Pāśupata (of Paśupati/Śiva)
• pāśupatam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāśupata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); adjective qualifying ‘vratam’

• yogam: yoga (discipline)
• yogam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yoga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• kṛṣṇāya: to Kṛṣṇa
• kṛṣṇāya: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular (एकवचन)

• akliṣṭa-karmaṇe: to the one whose deeds are untroubled/painless
• akliṣṭa-karmaṇe: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a- + kliṣṭa (कृदन्त) + karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular (एकवचन); tatpuruṣa: ‘untroubled’ + ‘deeds’; epithet qualifying ‘kṛṣṇāya’

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator recounting Upamanyu’s instruction)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Upamanyu
• Krishna
• Pāśupata vrata
• Pāśupata Yoga
• Paśupati (Shiva)

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

By emphasizing jñāna (liberating knowledge) given alongside Yoga, the verse implies that realization is not merely ritualistic: inner knowledge and disciplined practice together lead toward Self-realization, framed here through the Pāśupata (Śiva-oriented) path.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse explicitly highlights Pāśupata Yoga coupled with a vrata (vowed observance), indicating a structured Shaiva Yoga discipline—ethical restraint, vowed practice, and transformative sādhanā—bestowed through guru-to-disciple instruction.

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

Krishna (a Vaiṣṇava figure) receiving Pāśupata vrata and Yoga associated with Paśupati (Śiva) reflects the Kurma Purana’s synthesis: Śiva’s discipline and Vaiṣṇava devotion are not opposed but mutually illuminating within a unified dharmic framework.