Shloka 44

Manvantaras, Indras, Saptarṣis, and the Seven Sustaining Manifestations; Vyāsa as Nārāyaṇa

Devanagari script

या सा नारायणतनुः प्रद्युम्नाख्या मुनीश्वराः / तया संमोहयेद् विश्वं सदेवासुरमानुषम्

Transliteration

yā sā nārāyaṇatanuḥ pradyumnākhyā munīśvarāḥ / tayā saṃmohayed viśvaṃ sadevāsuramānuṣam

Translation

O ihr erhabensten Weisen, jene Gestalt Nārāyaṇas, die Pradyumna heißt—durch eben diese Macht betört und verwirrt Er das ganze Weltall, samt Göttern, Asuras und Menschen.

Word by Word

• या: which (she)
• या: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun)

• सा: that (she)
• सा: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (correlative)

• नारायण-तनुः: the body/form of Nārāyaṇa
• नारायण-तनुः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारायण (प्रातिपदिक) + तनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (षष्ठी)—‘नारायणस्य तनुः’

• प्रद्युम्न-आख्या: named Pradyumna
• प्रद्युम्न-आख्या: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रद्युम्न (प्रातिपदिक) + आख्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—‘प्रद्युम्नः आख्या यस्याः सा’

• मुनीश्वराः: O lords of sages
• मुनीश्वराः: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः—‘मुनीनां ईश्वराः’ (vocative plural)

• तया: by her/with her
• तया: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; करण (instrumental)

• संमोहयेत्: would delude/causes to be deluded
• संमोहयेत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-मुह् (धातु) + णिच्
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; णिजन्त (causative)

• विश्वम्: the universe
• विश्वम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म

• स-देव-असुर-मानुषम्: together with gods, demons, and humans
• स-देव-असुर-मानुषम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स (अव्यय/उपसर्गसदृश) + देव (प्रातिपदिक) + असुर (प्रातिपदिक) + मानुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (सह/सहितार्थक)—‘देवासुरमानुषैः सहितम्’ (qualifies विश्वम्)

Speaker

Lord Kurma (Vishnu) addressing the sages

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Characters & Entities

• Narayana
• Pradyumna
• Devas
• Asuras
• Humans

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

It implies that the Supreme (Nārāyaṇa) manifests powers that can veil true knowledge; realizing the Self requires discerning the Lord beyond His deluding potency (moha/māyā).

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse points to the need for viveka (discriminative insight) and steady contemplation to cross moha—principles aligned with the Kurma Purana’s yoga-oriented teaching: restraint of the mind, devotion to the Lord, and knowledge that pierces māyā.

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

By presenting the Lord’s cosmic power of delusion as a universal principle, it supports the Purana’s synthetic stance: the one Supreme Lord—named as Nārāyaṇa here and praised as Īśvara elsewhere—governs the same world-process that Shaiva and Vaishnava traditions describe.