Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 94

Adhyāya 25 — Liṅga-māhātmya (The Chapter on the Liṅga): Hari’s Śiva-Worship and the Fiery Pillar Theophany

Devanagari script

ततः प्रहृष्टमनसौ प्रणिपत्य महेश्वरम् / ऊचतुः प्रेक्ष्य तद्वक्त्रं नारायणपितामहौ

Transliteration

tataḥ prahṛṣṭamanasau praṇipatya maheśvaram / ūcatuḥ prekṣya tadvaktraṃ nārāyaṇapitāmahau

Translation

Daraufhin verneigten sich Nārāyaṇa und Pitāmaha (Brahmā) mit freudigem Herzen vor Maheśvara (Śiva). Seinen Anblick vor Augen, sprachen sie beide.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then/thereupon
• tataḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb (अनन्तर/तस्मात्)

• prahṛṣṭa-manasau: with delighted minds (the two)
• prahṛṣṭa-manasau: Karta-viśeṣaṇa (कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra + hṛṣṭa (हृष् धातु + क्त) + manas (मनस् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Bahuvrīhi (बहुव्रीहि) adjective ‘whose minds are delighted’; Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Dvivacana

• praṇipatya: having prostrated
• praṇipatya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + ni + pat (पत् धातु)
• Form: Absolutive (ल्यप्), ‘having bowed down’

• maheśvaram: Maheśvara
• maheśvaram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

• ūcatuḥ: they two said
• ūcatuḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ/लिट्), Parasmaipada, Prathama-puruṣa, Dvivacana

• prekṣya: having looked
• prekṣya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + īkṣ (ईक्ष् धातु)
• Form: Absolutive (ल्यप्), ‘having looked at’

• tat: that
• tat: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (तद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma, Napuṃsaka, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; modifies vaktram

• vaktram: face
• vaktram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaktra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsaka, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

• nārāyaṇa-pitāmahau: Nārāyaṇa and Pitāmaha (Viṣṇu and Brahmā)
• nārāyaṇa-pitāmahau: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārāyaṇa + pitāmaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Dvandva (द्वन्द्व) naming two persons; Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Dvivacana

Speaker

Narrator (describing Nārāyaṇa and Brahmā approaching Śiva); the next speech is by Nārāyaṇa and Pitāmaha

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• Nārāyaṇa (Viṣṇu)
• Pitāmaha (Brahmā)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

By showing Nārāyaṇa and Brahmā reverently bowing to Maheśvara, the verse implies a single supreme lordship beyond sectarian separation—an Upaniṣadic-style pointer that the highest reality can be honored in Śiva as the manifest focus of the same Supreme.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse highlights devotional discipline (bhakti-yoga) expressed through praṇipāta (prostration) and focused darśana (steady, reverent gazing upon the deity’s countenance), which function as mind-purifying practices supportive of higher meditation.

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

It depicts harmony and reverence: Nārāyaṇa honors Maheśvara without rivalry, reflecting the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis where divine functions differ but supreme divinity is treated as fundamentally non-opposed.