Shloka 50

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

Devanagari script

भस्मौद्धूलितसर्वाङ्गो मुण्डो वल्कलसंयुतः / जजाप रुद्रमनिशं शिवैकाहितमानसः

Transliteration

bhasmauddhūlitasarvāṅgo muṇḍo valkalasaṃyutaḥ / jajāpa rudramaniśaṃ śivaikāhitamānasaḥ

Translation

Sein ganzer Leib war mit heiliger Asche (bhasma) bestäubt; der Kopf geschoren, er trug Rindenkleider. Mit dem Geist allein auf Śiva gerichtet, vollzog er unablässig das Japa des Namens Rudras.

Word by Word

• bhasma-uddhūlita-sarvāṅgaḥ: whose whole body was smeared with ash
• bhasma-uddhūlita-sarvāṅgaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhasman (प्रातिपदिक) + ud-dhūlita (कृदन्त) + sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + aṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); bahuvrīhi: ‘whose whole body is dusted with ash’

• muṇḍaḥ: shaven-headed/bald
• muṇḍaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: muṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• valkala-saṃyutaḥ: wearing bark garments
• valkala-saṃyutaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: valkala (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃyuta (कृदन्त)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); tatpuruṣa: ‘clad/associated with bark-garments’

• jajāpa: chanted/muttered
• jajāpa: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jap (धातु)
• Form: Tinganta (तिङन्त), Liṭ (लिट्, perfect), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• rudram: Rudra (mantra/name of Rudra)
• rudram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• aniśam: unceasingly
• aniśam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: aniśam (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb of time (कालवाचक)

• śiva-eka-āhita-mānasaḥ: with mind fixed only on Śiva
• śiva-eka-āhita-mānasaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + eka (प्रातिपदिक) + āhita (कृदन्त) + mānasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); bahuvrīhi: ‘whose mind is fixed solely on Śiva’

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator describing an ascetic/devotee; contextually within the Kurma Purana’s discourse on Shaiva observance)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: vira

Characters & Entities

• Rudra
• Shiva
• Bhasma (sacred ash)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

It implies realization through ekāgratā (one-pointed absorption): the mind placed solely in Śiva indicates an inward orientation where the seeker’s consciousness is gathered into the supreme reality symbolized by Rudra-Śiva.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

Rudra-japa performed aniśam (without break) alongside ascetic discipline (bhasma, shaved head, bark-garments). The verse emphasizes sustained mantra-recitation supported by tapas and unwavering mental fixation—features aligned with Pāśupata-oriented sādhanā.

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

Though explicitly Shaiva in practice (Rudra-japa, Śiva-focused mind), the Kurma Purana’s broader synthesis treats such devotion as a valid path within a unified Purāṇic theology, where sectarian forms converge in the pursuit of the one supreme.