Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 35

Madhu–Kaiṭabha, Nārāyaṇa’s Yoga-Nidrā, Rudra’s Manifestation, and the Aṣṭamūrti–Trimūrti Teaching

Devanagari script

तान् दृष्ट्वा विविधान् रुद्रान निर्मलान् नीललोहितान् / जरामरणनिर्मुक्तान् व्याजहरा हरं गुरुः

Transliteration

tān dṛṣṭvā vividhān rudrāna nirmalān nīlalohitān / jarāmaraṇanirmuktān vyājaharā haraṃ guruḥ

Translation

Seeing those many forms of Rudra—pure, blue-and-reddish in hue, and freed from old age and death—the venerable Guru addressed Hara (Śiva) with reverent words.

Word by Word

• tān: those (them)
• tān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive): दृश् (धातु) + क्त्वा; ‘having seen’

• vividhān: various
• vividhān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vividha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• rudrān: Rudras
• rudrān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• nirmalān: pure
• nirmalān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nirmala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• nīla-lohitān: blue and red-hued
• nīla-lohitān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nīla (प्रातिपदिक) + lohita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; द्वन्द्वसमासः (नीलाश्च लोहिताश्च)

• jarā-maraṇa-nirmuktān: freed from old age and death
• jarā-maraṇa-nirmuktān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jarā (प्रातिपदिक) + maraṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + nirmukta (कृदन्त; मुच् धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कृदन्त-विशेषण; तत्पुरुषसमासः

• vyāja-harā: one who removes (things) by pretext; the pretext-remover
• vyāja-harā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vyāja (प्रातिपदिक) + hara (कृदन्त; हृ धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कृदन्त-विशेषण: हृ (धातु) + अ (ण्वुल्/अच्-प्रत्ययार्थे agentive) = हर; तत्पुरुषः (व्याजं हरति/व्याजहरः)

• haram: Hara (Śiva)
• haram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• guruḥ: the teacher
• guruḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Guru (a revered preceptor/elder in the narrative) addressing Lord Hara (Śiva)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Rudra
• Hara (Shiva)
• Nīlalohita

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

By describing the Rudra-forms as “freed from aging and death,” the verse points to a state beyond bodily change—suggestive of the deathless reality sought in liberation, which the Purana aligns with realization of the highest principle.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse foregrounds darśana (sacred vision) of purified, deathless forms—an outcome associated in the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva teaching with disciplined practice (yoga, tapas, and devotion) culminating in divine perception and freedom from jarā-maraṇa.

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

Even when centered on Śiva (Hara) and Rudra-forms, the Kurma Purana’s broader frame supports a synthetic theology: divine manifestations are approached through reverence and realization, consistent with the text’s tendency to harmonize Shaiva devotion with Vaishnava Purana authority.