Shloka 55

Īśvara-Gītā (continued): Twofold Yoga, Aṣṭāṅga Discipline, Pāśupata Meditation, and the Unity of Nārāyaṇa–Maheśvara

Devanagari script

शिखाग्रे द्वादशाङ्गुल्ये कल्पयित्वाथ पङ्कजम् / धर्मकन्दसमुद्भूतं ज्ञाननालं सुशोभनम्

Transliteration

śikhāgre dvādaśāṅgulye kalpayitvātha paṅkajam / dharmakandasamudbhūtaṃ jñānanālaṃ suśobhanam

Translation

Dann soll man am Scheitel—zwölf Fingerbreiten darüber—einen Lotos vergegenwärtigen, entsprossen aus der Knospe des Dharma, mit einem strahlenden Stängel der Erkenntnis, herrlich anzuschauen.

Word by Word

• śikhāgre: at the tip of the tuft (of hair)
• śikhāgre: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śikhā-agra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/अधिकरण), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (śikhāyāḥ agraḥ)

• dvādaśa-aṅgulye: in (a space) of twelve finger-breadths
• dvādaśa-aṅgulye: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvādaśa + aṅguli (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (dvādaśa aṅgulyaḥ) = ‘twelve-finger(-measure)’

• kalpayitvā: having visualized/constructed
• kalpayitvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kḷp (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive), ‘having arranged/imagined’

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचक (then/thereupon)

• paṅkajam: a lotus
• paṅkajam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paṅkaja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन

• dharma-kanda-samudbhūtam: arisen from the bulb/root of dharma
• dharma-kanda-samudbhūtam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dharma + kanda + samudbhūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (dharma-kandaḥ = ‘root/bulb of dharma’; tataḥ samudbhūtam = ‘arisen from’)

• jñāna-nālam: the stalk of knowledge
• jñāna-nālam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jñāna + nāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (jñānasya nālam)

• su-śobhanam: very beautiful
• su-śobhanam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su + śobhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपसर्गपूर्वक-कर्मधारयः (su-śobhanam = ‘very beautiful’)

Speaker

Lord Kūrma (Vishnu) teaching the Īśvara-gītā to the sages (including Indradyumna contextually)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Kūrma (Vishnu)
• Dharma
• Jñāna
• Pāśupata Yoga

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

By placing meditation at the crown-lotus supported by “Dharma” and “Jñāna,” the verse implies that realization of the Self is attained through a disciplined ethical foundation (dharma) culminating in illuminative knowledge (jñāna), not mere ritual or speculation.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

It prescribes a dhyāna-visualization: imagining a lotus above the crown (twelve aṅgulas), a classic yogic locus for subtle contemplation, where the meditator stabilizes attention using symbolic anatomy—rooted in dharma and rising as jñāna—consistent with Pāśupata-oriented inner worship in the Kurma Purana’s Īśvara-gītā.

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

Although Vishnu (as Kūrma) speaks, the instruction uses Pāśupata-style yogic symbolism; the shared yogic soteriology (dharma → jñāna → liberation) reflects the Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis where devotion and yoga converge beyond strict Shiva–Vishnu division.