Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 90

Invocation, Purāṇa Lakṣaṇas, Kurma at the Samudra-manthana, and Indradyumna’s Liberation Teaching

Iśvara-Gītā Prelude

Devanagari script

तस्मात् सर्वप्रयत्नेन तन्निष्ठस्तत्परायणः / समाराधय विश्वेशं ततो मोक्षमवाप्स्यसि

Transliteration

tasmāt sarvaprayatnena tanniṣṭhastatparāyaṇaḥ / samārādhaya viśveśaṃ tato mokṣamavāpsyasi

Translation

Ainsi donc, de tout ton effort, demeurant fermement établi en Lui et ne prenant que Lui pour refuge suprême, adore Viśveśa, le Seigneur de l’Univers ; alors tu obtiendras la délivrance.

Word by Word

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Hetu/Apādāna (हेतु/अपादान; causal/ablative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पञ्चमी-प्रयोगे अव्ययीभाववत् (ablatival adverb: ‘therefore/from that’)

• sarva-prayatnena: with all effort
• sarva-prayatnena: Karaṇa (करण; means/instrument ‘with all effort’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + prayatna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (‘all’ qualifying ‘effort’)

• tat-niṣṭhaḥ: steadfast in that
• tat-niṣṭhaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण; qualifier of subject ‘you’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + niṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (‘fixed in that’), agrees with implied ‘tvam’

• tat-parāyaṇaḥ: devoted to that as the ultimate goal
• tat-parāyaṇaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + parāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (‘having that as the supreme refuge/goal’), agrees with implied ‘tvam’

• samārādhaya: worship/propitiate
• samārādhaya: Kriyā (क्रिया; main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√rādh (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• viśva-īśam: the Lord of the universe
• viśva-īśam: Karma (कर्म; object of ‘samārādhaya’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśva (प्रातिपदिक) + īśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (विश्वस्य ईशः = ‘Lord of the universe’)

• tataḥ: then/thereupon
• tataḥ: Kāla/Hetu (काल/हेतु; sequential/cause marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: ततः-शब्दः अव्यय (ablatival adverb: ‘then/thereupon/from that’)

• mokṣam: liberation
• mokṣam: Karma (कर्म; object of ‘avāpsyasi’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mokṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• avāpsyasi: you will attain
• avāpsyasi: Kriyā (क्रिया; main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava-√āp (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (simple future), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Lord Kūrma (Viṣṇu) instructing the sages (Īśvara-gītā context)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: vira

Characters & Entities

• Viśveśa (Lord of the Universe)
• Mokṣa (Liberation)

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

It points to liberation through exclusive steadfastness in the one Lord (tan-niṣṭhā, tat-parāyaṇatā), implying that mokṣa arises from single-pointed absorption in the supreme Reality rather than mere external ritual.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse emphasizes disciplined, wholehearted sādhana: unwavering fixation on the Lord (niṣṭhā), making Him the sole refuge/goal (parāyaṇa), and sustained worship (samārādhana)—a devotional-yogic method consistent with the Kurma Purana’s Pāśupata-oriented theism.

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

By using the universal epithet “Viśveśa” and presenting liberation as devotion to the supreme Lord beyond sectarian limitation, it aligns with the Kurma Purana’s non-competitive Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis where the highest Īśvara is approached through unified theistic devotion.