Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 9

Prākṛta Sṛṣṭi and Pralaya: From Pradhāna to Brahmāṇḍa; Trimūrti Samanvaya

Devanagari script

अनाद्यन्तमजं सूक्ष्मं त्रिगुणं प्रभवाप्ययम् / असांप्रतमविज्ञेयं ब्रह्माग्रे समवर्तत

Transliteration

anādyantamajaṃ sūkṣmaṃ triguṇaṃ prabhavāpyayam / asāṃpratamavijñeyaṃ brahmāgre samavartata

Translation

Jenes Brahman, anfangslos und endlos, ungeboren, subtil, aus den drei Guṇas bestehend, Ursprung wie auch Auflösung von allem—gegenwärtig jenseits der Wahrnehmung und unerkennbar—war schon zu Beginn da, noch bevor Brahmā (der Schöpfer) hervortrat.

Word by Word

• anādi-antam: having no beginning and no end
• anādi-antam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anādi + anta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (न आदि: अनादि; अनादि च अन्तश्च यस्य)

• ajam: unborn
• ajam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• sūkṣmam: subtle
• sūkṣmam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sūkṣma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• tri-guṇam: of three qualities (guṇas)
• tri-guṇam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri + guṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (त्रयः गुणाः यस्य/त्रिगुण)

• prabhava-apyayam: (having) origin and dissolution
• prabhava-apyayam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prabhava + apyaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—द्वन्द्वः (प्रभवश्च अप्ययश्च)

• asāṃpratam: not present to the senses / not immediate
• asāṃpratam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: asāṃprata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• avijñeyam: unknowable
• avijñeyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a + vijñeya (प्रातिपदिक; √jñā धातु से कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'विज्ञेय' = ज्ञातव्य, न-प्रत्ययेन निषेधः

• brahma-agre: in the beginning (before Brahmā/at creation’s start)
• brahma-agre: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: brahman + agra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (सप्तमी-अर्थे) = 'ब्रह्मणः अग्रे' (at the beginning of Brahmā/creation)

• samavartata: existed / came to be
• samavartata: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vṛt (वृत् धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; उपसर्गः—सम् + अव

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) describing the primordial Brahman within the Kurma Purana’s creation teaching

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Brahman
• Brahmā
• Guṇas (sattva-rajas-tamas)

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

It portrays the Supreme as Brahman: unborn, subtle, beyond sensory grasp, yet the ultimate ground of both creation (prabhava) and dissolution (apyaya). This supports a non-dual view where the Self is beginningless and not limited by time or embodiment.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse implies a yogic approach of inward discernment: since Brahman is “subtle” and “presently unknowable” to ordinary perception, realization requires purification of mind and disciplined contemplation (dhyāna) that transcends guṇa-driven cognition—an orientation consistent with Kurma Purana’s yoga-shāstra tone and later Pāśupata-inflected teachings.

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

By grounding everything in one beginningless Brahman that precedes even Brahmā, the text frames deity-forms (including Shiva and Vishnu) as expressions of the same supreme reality—supporting the Kurma Purana’s synthesis that emphasizes unity at the highest level.