Shloka 19

अध्याय ९६: शरभ-प्रादुर्भावः, नृसिंह-दर्पशमनम्, विष्णोः शिवस्तुतिः, फलश्रुति

Devanagari script

पुच्छेनैव समाबध्य भ्रमन्नेकार्णवे पुरा बिभर्षि कूर्मरूपेण वाराहेणोद्धृता मही

Transliteration

pucchenaiva samābadhya bhramannekārṇave purā bibharṣi kūrmarūpeṇa vārāheṇoddhṛtā mahī

Translation

In uralter Zeit, als der Eine Ozean (die kosmische Flut) wirbelnd tobte, bandest du ihn fest, ja selbst mit dem Schwanz. Und in der Gestalt der Schildkröte (Kūrma) trugst du ihn; während die Erde, vom Eber (Varāha) emporgehoben, hoch emporgetragen wurde.

Word by Word

• पुच्छेन (pucchena): by the tail

• एव (eva): indeed/alone

• समाबध्य (samābaddhya): having bound firmly

• भ्रमन् (bhraman): whirling/turning about

• एकार्णवे (ekārṇave): in the single cosmic ocean/deluge

• पुरा (purā): formerly/in ancient times

• बिभर्षि (bibharṣi): you uphold/you bear

• कूर्मरूपेण (kūrma-rūpeṇa): in the form of the Tortoise

• वाराहेण (vārāheṇa): by/in the form of the Boar

• उद्धृता (uddhṛtā): lifted up/raised

• मही (mahī): the Earth

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Purana’s account to the sages, with the verse functioning as praise addressed to the Supreme Lord)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Vishnu
• Kurma
• Varaha
• Earth (Bhumi)

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It frames the worshipper’s devotion around the Lord as Pati—the cosmic upholder who stabilizes dissolution and restores dharma; Linga-worship here is remembrance of that unshaken support (ādhāra) behind all forms.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

Shiva-tattva is implied as the supreme sustaining reality: even when protective functions appear through avatāra-forms, the underlying Lord remains the stable bearer who binds disorder and upholds the world-process beyond pralaya.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The takeaway is dhyāna and stuti (contemplative praise): meditating on the Lord as the inner support during cosmic turbulence aligns the pashu (soul) toward Pati, loosening pasha (bondage) through steady remembrance.