Shloka 6

Iśvara on Māyā, the Unmanifest, and the Viśvarūpa of the One Supreme

Devanagari script

अहं तत् परमं ब्रह्म परमात्मा सनातनः / अकारणं द्विजाः प्रोक्तो न दोषो ह्यात्मनस्तथा

Transliteration

ahaṃ tat paramaṃ brahma paramātmā sanātanaḥ / akāraṇaṃ dvijāḥ prokto na doṣo hyātmanastathā

Translation

Ich bin jenes höchste Brahman, der ewige Paramātman. O Zweimalgeborene, von Mir wird gesagt, dass Ich ursachlos bin; daher kann dem Selbst (Ātman) keinerlei Makel oder Fehler anhaften.

Word by Word

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: Pronoun (सर्वनाम), 1st Person, Nominative/प्रथमा (1), Singular/एकवचन

• tat: that
• tat: Pratijñā/Predicate (विशेष्य-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: Pronoun (सर्वनाम), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/प्रथमा (1), Singular/एकवचन; deictic/predicate apposition

• paramam: supreme
• paramam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/प्रथमा (1), Singular/एकवचन; agrees with 'brahma'

• brahma: Brahman
• brahma: Pratijñā/Predicate (विशेष्य-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/प्रथमा (1), Singular/एकवचन

• paramātmā: the Supreme Self
• paramātmā: Pratijñā/Predicate (विशेष्य-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative/प्रथमा (1), Singular/एकवचन; Karmadhāraya: 'paramaḥ ātmā'

• sanātanaḥ: eternal
• sanātanaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sanātana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative/प्रथमा (1), Singular/एकवचन; adjective to implied 'aham/paramātmā'

• akāraṇam: causeless
• akāraṇam: Pratijñā/Predicate (विशेष्य-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a- (नञ्) + kāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/प्रथमा (1), Singular/एकवचन; predicative adjective (nirhetuka)

• dvijāḥ: O twice-born
• dvijāḥ: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative/सम्बोधन (8), Plural/बहुवचन

• proktaḥ: is said/declared
• proktaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-√vac (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative/प्रथमा (1), Singular/एकवचन; predicate with implied 'aham'

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Negation particle (निषेध-अव्यय)

• doṣaḥ: fault/defect
• doṣaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: doṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative/प्रथमा (1), Singular/एकवचन

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय)

• ātmanaḥ: of the Self
• ātmanaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive/षष्ठी (6), Singular/एकवचन

• tathā: thus/so
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय)

Speaker

Lord Kūrma (Viṣṇu) teaching the sages (dvijas) within the Ishvara Gita discourse

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Brahman
• Paramatman
• Atman
• Dvija
• Lord Kurma

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

It identifies the Supreme as Brahman/Paramātman who is eternal and causeless; therefore the Self is intrinsically stainless—defects belong to conditioned prakṛti and mistaken identification, not to ātman.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse supports Ishvara Gita contemplation: meditate on the causeless, eternal Paramātman as one’s true Self, cultivating viveka (discrimination) and vairāgya (dispassion) to drop doership and dissolve karmic attribution—foundational to the Kurma Purana’s Pāśupata-oriented inner discipline.

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

By presenting the Supreme as the one causeless Paramātman (beyond sectarian form), it aligns with the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis: the ultimate Lord taught here transcends names and is understood as the same Supreme reality revered as both Śiva and Viṣṇu.