Adhyaya 2

Verse 1

इति श्रीकूर्मपुराणे षट्साहस्त्र्यां संहितायामुपरिविभागे (ईश्वरगीतासु) प्रथमो ऽध्यायः ईश्वर उवाच अवाच्यमेतद् विज्ञानमात्मगुह्यं सनातनम् / यन्न देवा विजानन्ति यतन्तो ऽपि द्विजातयः

Thus, in the Śrī Kūrma Purāṇa, in the six‑thousand‑verse Saṃhitā, in the latter division—within the Īśvara‑gītā—begins the first chapter. The Lord said: “This knowledge is inexpressible—an eternal, secret wisdom of the Self—one that even the gods do not truly comprehend, nor even the twice‑born, though they strive.”

Verse 2

इदं ज्ञानं समाश्रित्य ब्रह्मभूता द्विजोत्तमाः / न संसारं प्रपद्यन्ते पूर्वे ऽपि ब्रह्मवादिनः

Relying on this knowledge, the best of the twice‑born become established in Brahman; and even the earlier seers who taught Brahman do not fall again into transmigratory existence.

Verse 3

गुह्याद् गुह्यतमं साक्षाद् गोपनीयं प्रयत्नतः / वक्ष्ये भक्तिमतामद्य युष्माकं ब्रह्मवादिनाम्

Now I shall declare to you—O devoted ones and knowers of Brahman—this teaching, more secret than the secret itself: a direct truth, to be carefully guarded with earnest effort.

Verse 4

आत्मायः केवलः स्वस्थः शान्तः सूक्ष्मः सनातनः / अस्ति सर्वान्तरः साक्षाच्चिन्मात्रस्तमसः परः

The Self is one without a second, self-established, tranquil, subtle, and eternal. It abides as the immediate Witness within all beings—pure consciousness alone—beyond the darkness of ignorance (tamas).

Verse 5

सो ऽन्तर्यामी स पुरुषः स प्राणः स महेश्वरः / स कालो ऽग्निस्तदव्यक्तं स एवेदमिति श्रुतिः

He is the Inner Ruler; He is the Puruṣa; He is Prāṇa; He is Maheśvara, the Great Lord. He is Time; He is Fire; He is the Unmanifest—indeed, the Śruti declares: “He alone is all this.”

Verse 6

अस्माद् विजायते विश्वमत्रैव प्रविलीयते / स मायी मायया बद्धः करोति विविधास्तनूः

From Him this entire universe is born, and into Him alone it dissolves. That Lord—master of māyā—though as it were bound by His own māyā, assumes manifold forms.

Verse 7

न चाप्ययं संसरति न च संसारयेत् प्रभुः / नायं पृथ्वी न सलिलं न तेजः पवनो नभः

This Supreme Lord neither wanders in saṃsāra, nor causes another to wander. He is not the earth, not the waters, not fire, not wind, and not the sky (ether).

Verse 8

न प्राणे न मनो ऽव्यक्तं न शब्दः स्पर्श एव च / न रूपरसगन्धाश्च नाहं कर्ता न वागपि

I am not the vital breath (prāṇa); I am not the mind (manas), nor the unmanifest (avyakta). I am not sound or touch; nor form, taste, or smell. I am not the doer (kartā), and I am not even speech (vāc).

Verse 9

न पाणिपादौ नो पायुर्न चोपस्थं द्विजोत्तमाः / न कर्ता न च भोक्ता वा न च प्रकृतिपूरुषौ / न माया नैव च प्राश्चैतन्यं परमार्थतः

O best of the twice-born, in the highest truth the Supreme is not hands or feet, nor anus, nor the organ of generation; it is neither agent nor enjoyer, nor the duality of Prakṛti and Puruṣa. It is not Māyā, nor even the primordial conditioned consciousness—such is Reality in its absolute sense.

Verse 10

यथा प्रकाशतमसोः सम्बन्धो नोपपद्यते / तद्वदैक्यं न संबन्धः प्रपञ्चपरमात्मनोः

Just as no real relation can be established between light and darkness, so too the ‘unity’ spoken of between the manifested world (prapañca) and the Supreme Self (Paramātman) is not a relation at all—for relation belongs only to the realm of appearance.

Verse 11

छायातपौ यथा लोके परस्परविलक्षणौ / तद्वत् प्रपञ्चपुरुषौ विभिन्नौ परमार्थतः

Just as shade and sunlight in the world are mutually distinct, so too, in the highest truth, the manifested cosmos (prapañca) and the conscious Self (puruṣa) are separate and different.

Verse 12

यद्यात्मा मलिनो ऽस्वस्थो विकारी स्यात् स्वभावतः / नहि तस्य भवेन्मुक्तिर्जन्मान्तरशतैरपि

If the self (ātman), by nature, is impure, unsteady, and subject to change, then for such a one liberation (mokṣa) does not arise—even across hundreds of successive births.

Verse 13

पश्यन्ति मुनयो युक्ताः स्वात्मानं परमार्थतः / विकारहीनं निर्दुः खमानन्दात्मानमव्ययम्

Disciplined sages, established in Yoga, behold their own Self in the highest truth—unchanging, sorrowless, of the nature of bliss, and imperishable.

Verse 14

अहं कर्ता सुखी दुः खी कृशः स्थूलेति या मतिः / सा चाहङ्कारकर्तृत्वादात्मन्यारोप्यते जनैः

The notion, “I am the doer; I am happy or unhappy; I am thin or stout,” arises from ego and the sense of agency; through that egoic doership, people superimpose it upon the Self.

Verse 15

वदन्ति वेदविद्वांसः साक्षिणं प्रकृतेः परम् / भोक्तारमक्षरं शुद्धं सर्वत्र समवस्थितम्

The knowers of the Veda declare (the Self) to be the Witness, supreme beyond Prakṛti—the experiencer, imperishable and pure—present equally everywhere.

Verse 16

तस्मादज्ञानमूलो हि संसारः सर्वदेहिनाम् / अज्ञानादन्यथा ज्ञानं तच्च प्रकृतिसंगतम्

Therefore, for all embodied beings, transmigratory existence (saṃsāra) is indeed rooted in ignorance. From ignorance arises a distorted kind of ‘knowledge’, and that misapprehension is bound up with Prakṛti (material nature).

Verse 17

नित्योदितः स्वयं ज्योतिः सर्वगः पुरुषः परः / अहङ्काराविवेकेन कर्ताहमिति मन्यते

The Supreme Person is ever-manifest, self-luminous, and all-pervading; yet, through the non-discriminating confusion born of ego, one imagines, “I am the doer.”

Verse 18

पश्यन्ति ऋषयो ऽव्यक्तं नित्यं सदसदात्मकम् / प्रधानं प्रकृतिं बुद्ध्वा कारणं ब्रह्मवादिनः

The seers behold the Unmanifest—eternal, bearing the character of both being and non-being. Knowing it as Pradhāna, as Prakṛti, the expounders of Brahman proclaim it the causal ground of manifestation.

Verse 19

तेनायं संगतो ह्यात्मा कूटस्थो ऽपि निरञ्जनः / स्वात्मानमक्षरं ब्रह्म नावबुद्ध्येत तत्त्वतः

Through ignorance and its superimposition, this Self appears as though associated with body and mind; yet it is the immutable, stainless Witness. Thus one fails to realize in truth one’s own Self as the imperishable Brahman.

Verse 20

अनात्मन्यात्मविज्ञानं तस्माद् दुः खं तथेतरम् / रगद्वेषादयो दोषाः सर्वे भ्रान्तिनिबन्धनाः

Mistaking the non-Self for the Self—thereby suffering arises, and likewise all that is contrary to liberation. Attachment, aversion, and every other fault are bound to delusion as their very cause.

Verse 21

कर्मण्यस्य भवेद् दोषः पुण्यापुण्यमिति स्थितिः / तद्वशादेव सर्वेषां सर्वदेहसमुद्भवः

In action, for this embodied being, there arises the condition called merit and demerit. And under the very governance of that karma, the origination of all bodies for all beings comes to pass.

Verse 22

नित्यः सर्वत्रगो ह्यात्मा कूटस्थो दोषवर्जितः / एकः स भिद्यते शक्त्या मायया न स्वभावतः

The Self (Ātman) is eternal and all-pervading; it is changeless (kūṭastha) and free from defects. Though one alone, it appears divided through Power—through Māyā—yet not by its own intrinsic nature.

Verse 23

तस्मादद्वैतमेवाहुर्मुनयः परमार्थतः / भेदो व्यक्तस्वभावेन सा च मायात्मसंश्रया

Therefore the sages declare that, in the highest truth, Reality is non-dual alone. Any experience of difference arises from the manifest nature of appearances, and that difference rests upon Māyā, the power dependent on the Self (Ātman).

Verse 24

यथा हि धूमसंपर्कान्नाकाशो मलिनो भवेत् / अन्तः करणजैर्भावैरात्मा तद्वन्न लिप्यते

Just as space is not truly stained by contact with smoke, so the Ātman is not tainted by the states and emotions that arise from the inner instrument (mind–intellect).

Verse 25

यथा स्वप्रभया भाति केवलः स्फटिको ऽमलः / उपाधिहीनो विमलस्तथैवात्मा प्रकाशते

Just as a flawless crystal (sphaṭika), pure and solitary, shines by its own radiance, so too the Self—stainless and free from all limiting adjuncts (upādhis)—reveals itself as pure illumination.

Verse 26

ज्ञानस्वूपमेवाहुर्जगदेतद् विचक्षणाः / अर्थस्वरूपमेवाज्ञाः पश्यन्त्यन्ये कुदृष्टयः

The discerning declare this universe to be of the very nature of consciousness-knowledge (jñāna). But the ignorant, whose vision is distorted, perceive it only as material objecthood (artha).

Verse 27

कूटस्थो निर्गुणो व्यापी चैतन्यात्मा स्वभावतः / दृश्यते ह्यर्थरूपेण पुरुषैर्भ्रान्तिदृष्टिभिः

The Self is kūṭastha—unchanging, beyond the guṇas, all-pervading, and by nature pure consciousness; yet to those whose vision is deluded, It appears as though It takes the form of objects.

Verse 28

यथा संलक्ष्यते रक्तः केवलः स्फटिको जनैः / रक्तिकाद्युपधानेन तद्वत् परमपूरुषः

Just as a perfectly clear crystal is seen by people as red when set upon a red dye or similar base, so too the Supreme Person (Paramapuruṣa) is seemingly perceived as qualified and “colored” by limiting adjuncts (upādhis).

Verse 29

तस्मादात्माक्षरः शुद्धो नित्यः सर्वगतो ऽव्ययः / उपासितव्यो मन्तव्यः श्रोतव्यश्च मुमुक्षुभिः

Therefore the Self—imperishable (akṣara), pure, eternal, all-pervading, and undecaying—should be worshipfully contemplated, reflected upon, and heard of by those who yearn for liberation (mumukṣus).

Verse 30

यदा मनसि चैतन्यं भाति सर्वत्रगं सदा / योगिनो ऽव्यवधानेन तदा संपद्यते स्वयम्

When, in the mind, pure Consciousness (caitanya) shines—ever-present and all-pervading—then for the yogin who abides without interruption, realization arises of itself.

Verse 31

यदा सर्वाणि बूतानि स्वात्मन्येवाभिपश्यति / सर्वभूतेषु चात्मानं ब्रह्म संपद्यते तदा

When one truly beholds all beings within one’s own Self—and also beholds the Self present in all beings—then, at that very time, one attains Brahman.

Verse 32

यदा सर्वाणि भूतानि समाधिस्थो न पश्यति / एकीभूतः परेणासौ तदा भवति केवलः

When, established in samādhi, he no longer perceives all beings as separate, having become one with the Supreme, then he abides as the Alone—free in kaivalya.

Verse 33

यदा सर्वे प्रमुच्यन्ते कामा ये ऽस्य हृदि स्थिताः / तदासावमृतीभूतः क्षेमं गच्छति पण्डितः

When all desires abiding in the heart are wholly released, then the wise one, freed from mortality, attains kṣema—secure peace in the Supreme Īśvara.

Verse 34

यदा भूतपृथग्भावमेकस्थमनुपश्यति / तत एव च विस्तारं ब्रह्म संपद्यते तदा

When one truly perceives the seeming separateness of beings as resting in the One, then—through that very insight—one attains Brahman, the Reality that is both the source and the vast expansion of all.

Verse 35

यदा पश्यति चात्मानं केवलं परमार्थतः / मायामात्रं जगत् कृत्स्नं तदा भवति निर्वृतः

When one beholds the Self alone as the highest reality, and sees the entire universe as nothing but māyā, then one becomes fully pacified—resting in liberation’s quietude.

Verse 36

यदा जन्मजरादुः खव्याधीनामेकभेषजम् / केवलं ब्रह्मविज्ञानं जायते ऽसौ तदा शिवः

When the solitary remedy for the sufferings of birth, old age, and disease—pure knowledge of Brahman—arises within, then that person truly becomes Śiva, the auspicious liberated one.

Verse 37

यथा नदीनदा लोके सागरेणैकतां ययुः / तद्वदात्माक्षरेणासौ निष्कलेनैकतां व्रजेत्

Just as rivers and streams in this world merge into oneness with the ocean, so should the embodied self attain oneness with the Imperishable Self (Akṣara-Ātman), partless and without division.

Verse 38

तस्माद् विज्ञानमेवास्ति न प्रपञ्चो न संसृतिः / अज्ञानेनावृतं लोको विज्ञानं तेन मुह्यति

Therefore, only true Knowledge (vijñāna) exists; in reality there is neither the manifold world-appearance (prapañca) nor transmigratory existence (saṃsāra). Yet the world, veiled by ignorance (avidyā), becomes deluded regarding that very Knowledge.

Verse 39

तज्ज्ञानं निर्मलं सूक्ष्मं निर्विकल्पं यदव्ययम् / अज्ञानमितरत् सर्वं विज्ञानमिति मे मतम्

That is true knowledge: stainless, subtle, free from conceptual distinctions (nirvikalpa), and imperishable. Everything other than that is ignorance (avidyā); this is my considered view regarding realized discernment (vijñāna).

Verse 40

एतद् वः परमं सांख्यं भाषितं ज्ञानमुत्तमम् / सर्ववेदान्तसारं हि योगस्तत्रैकचित्तता

Thus I have declared to you the supreme Sāṅkhya—this highest knowledge. Indeed, it is the very essence of all Vedānta; and Yoga, in that teaching, is single-pointedness of mind (ekacittatā).

Verse 41

योगात् संजायते ज्ञानं ज्ञानाद् योगः प्रवर्तते / योगज्ञानाभियुक्तस्य नावाप्यं विद्यते क्वचित्

From Yoga arises true knowledge, and from knowledge Yoga becomes firmly established. For one who is devoted to both Yoga and knowledge, there is nothing anywhere that cannot be attained.

Verse 42

यदेव योगिनो यान्ति सांख्यैस्तदधिगम्यते / एकं सांख्यं च योगं च यः पश्यति स तत्त्ववित्

That very goal which the yogins attain is also realized by the followers of Sāṃkhya. He who sees Sāṃkhya and Yoga as one is a knower of truth (tattvavit).

Verse 43

अन्ये च योगिनो विप्रा ऐश्वर्यासक्तचेतसः / मज्जन्ति तत्र तत्रैव न त्वात्मैषामिति श्रुतिः

And other yogins, O brāhmaṇa sages, whose minds cling to siddhis and the enjoyments of lordly power, sink again and again into those very attainments; yet the śruti declares: “that is not the Self for them.”

Verse 44

यत्तत् सर्वगतं दिव्यमैश्वर्यमचलं महत् / ज्ञानयोगाभियुक्तस्तु देहान्ते तदवाप्नुयात्

That all-pervading, divine sovereignty—vast, supreme, and unmoving—one who is steadfastly devoted to Jñāna-yoga attains at the end of the body (at death).

Verse 45

एष आत्माहमव्यक्तो मायावी परमेश्वरः / कीर्तितः सर्ववेदेषु सर्वात्मा सर्वतोमुखः

I am that very Self—unmanifest, the wielder of māyā, the Supreme Lord (Parameśvara)—praised in all the Vedas as the Self of all beings, facing and pervading in every direction.

Verse 46

सर्वकामः सर्वरसः सर्वगन्धो ऽजरो ऽमरः / सर्वतः पाणिपादो ऽहमन्तर्यामी सनातनः

I am the fulfiller of all desires, the essence of every taste, and the fragrance within all scents. I am undecaying and deathless. With hands and feet everywhere, I am the eternal Antaryāmin, the Inner Ruler abiding within all beings.

Verse 47

अपाणिपादो जवनो ग्रहीता हृदि संस्थितः / अचक्षुरपि पश्यामि तथाकर्णः शृणोम्यहम्

Though without hands and feet, He is swift and the Seizer, established within the heart. Though without eyes, I see; and though without ears, I hear.

Verse 48

वेदाहं सर्वमेवेदं न मां जानाति कश्चन / प्राहुर्महान्तं पुरुषं मामेकं तत्त्वदर्शिनः

I know all this—indeed everything; yet no one truly knows Me. The seers of Reality declare Me alone to be the Great Person, the Mahā-puruṣa.

Verse 49

पश्यन्ति ऋषयो हेतुमात्मनः सूक्ष्मदर्शिनः / निर्गुणामलरूपस्य यत्तदैश्वर्यमुत्तमम्

The seers, endowed with subtle vision, perceive the very cause of the Self: the supreme sovereignty of That Reality, whose form is stainless and beyond the guṇas.

Verse 50

यन्न देवा विजानन्ति मोहिता मम मायया / वक्ष्ये समाहिता यूयं शृणुध्वं ब्रह्मवादिनः

That which even the gods do not comprehend, bewildered by My māyā, I shall now declare. Be composed and attentive; listen, O expounders of Brahman.

Verse 51

नाहं प्रशास्ता सर्वस्य मायातीतः स्वभावतः / प्रेरयामि तथापीदं कारणं सूरयो विदुः

By My own nature I am beyond Māyā; I am not the controlling ruler of all. And yet I do set this process in motion—this is the causal principle, as the wise know.

Verse 52

यन्मे गुह्यतमं देहं सर्वगं तत्त्वदर्शिनः / प्रविष्टा मम सायुज्यं लभन्ते योगिनो ऽव्ययम्

Those yogins who are seers of reality, entering into My most secret, all-pervading form, attain imperishable sāyujya—complete union with Me.

Verse 53

तेषां हि वशमापन्ना माया मे विश्वरूपिणी / लभन्ते परमां शुद्धिं निर्वाणं ते मया सह

For them indeed, My Māyā—universal in form, manifesting all—comes under control; and they attain the supreme purity and nirvāṇa, abiding together with Me.

Verse 54

न तेषां पुनरावृत्तिः कल्पकोटिशतैरपि / प्रसादान्मम योगीन्द्रा एतद् वेदानुशासनम्

For them there is no return to repeated birth, even across hundreds of crores of aeons. O best of yogins, by My grace—this is the ordinance of the Veda.

Verse 55

नापुत्रशिष्ययोगिभ्यो दातव्यं ब्रह्मवादिभिः / मदुक्तमेतद् विज्ञानं सांख्ययोगसमाश्रयम्

Those who teach Brahman should not impart this knowledge to one who is neither a son nor a disciple nor a qualified yogin. This is the wisdom I have declared, grounded in Sāṃkhya and Yoga.