Shloka 8

Rudra’s Cosmic Dance and the Recognition of Rudra–Nārāyaṇa Unity (Īśvara-gītā Continuation)

Devanagari script

सहस्रशिरसं देवं सहस्रचरणाकृतिम् / सहस्रबाहुं जटिलं चन्द्रार्धकृतशेखरम्

Transliteration

sahasraśirasaṃ devaṃ sahasracaraṇākṛtim / sahasrabāhuṃ jaṭilaṃ candrārdhakṛtaśekharam

Translation

I contemplate that divine Lord—of a thousand heads and the form of a thousand feet, of a thousand arms, matted-haired, and crowned with the crescent half-moon.

Word by Word

• सहस्र-शिरसम्: having a thousand heads
• सहस्र-शिरसम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक) + शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (Acc), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (सहस्रं शिरो यस्य = having a thousand heads)

• देवम्: the god
• देवम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (Acc), एकवचन

• सहस्र-चरण-आकृतिम्: whose form has a thousand feet
• सहस्र-चरण-आकृतिम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक) + चरण (प्रातिपदिक) + आकृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (Acc), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (सहस्राणि चरणानि आकृतिः/रूपं यस्य = whose form has a thousand feet)

• सहस्र-बाहुम्: having a thousand arms
• सहस्र-बाहुम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक) + बाहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (Acc), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (सहस्रं बाहवो यस्य = having a thousand arms)

• जटिलम्: matted-haired
• जटिलम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जटिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (Acc), एकवचन

• चन्द्र-अर्ध-कृत-शेखरम्: with the half-moon as his crest
• चन्द्र-अर्ध-कृत-शेखरम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + कृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, √कृ (धातु) + क्त) + शेखर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (Acc), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (चन्द्रस्य अर्धं कृतः शेखरः यस्य/यः = having the half-moon as a crest)

Speaker

Narratorial/recitational voice within a Shiva-dhyana (meditative eulogy) sequence in the Kurma Purana

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: vira

Characters & Entities

• Shiva (Mahadeva)
• Chandra (Moon)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

By attributing “thousand heads, feet, and arms,” the verse points to an all-pervading, cosmic Lord whose presence is not confined to a single body—an iconographic way of indicating the Supreme as vast, manifold, and immanent.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

This is a dhyāna-style visualization: fixing the mind on specific divine marks (jaṭā, crescent moon, cosmic limbs) to steady attention (ekāgratā). In the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva orientation, such form-based contemplation supports inner stillness leading toward knowledge of Ishvara.

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

Though explicitly describing Shiva’s form, the cosmic “thousand-limbed” imagery echoes pan-Indic depictions of the Supreme (also used for Vishnu), aligning with the Kurma Purana’s tendency to present a shared, non-sectarian vision of Ishvara expressed through both Shiva and Vishnu.