Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 27

Genealogies of Kaśyapa and Pulastya; Rise of Brahmavādin Lines and Rākṣasa Branches

Devanagari script

एते ऽत्र वंश्याः कथिता ब्राह्मणा ब्रह्मवादिनाम् / अत ऊर्ध्वं निबोधध्वं कश्यपाद्राजसंततिम्

Transliteration

ete 'tra vaṃśyāḥ kathitā brāhmaṇā brahmavādinām / ata ūrdhvaṃ nibodhadhvaṃ kaśyapādrājasaṃtatim

Translation

Ainsi ont été exposées ici les lignées des brāhmaṇas brahmavādin, les proclamateurs de Brahman. À présent, écoutez encore : je vais dire la succession royale issue de Kaśyapa.

Word by Word

• ete: these
• ete: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन), demonstrative pronoun

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (देशवाचक अव्यय)

• vaṃśyāḥ: descendants
• vaṃśyāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaṃśya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• kathitāḥ: have been described
• kathitāḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kath (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त/कृत्), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); used predicatively: 'have been told'

• brāhmaṇāḥ: Brahmins
• brāhmaṇāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• brahmavādinām: of the expounders of Brahman
• brahmavādinām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahma-vādin (प्रातिपदिक; ब्रह्म + वादिन्)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural (बहुवचन); tatpuruṣa: 'speakers of Brahman'

• ataḥ: thereafter
• ataḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable (अव्यय), causal/sequence adverb: 'thereafter/therefore/from here'

• ūrdhvam: further/onwards
• ūrdhvam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ūrdhva (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: Adverbial accusative (द्वितीया-अव्ययीभाव), sense: 'above/further/onwards'

• nibodhadhvam: understand (you all)
• nibodhadhvam: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: budh (धातु)
• Form: Imperative (लोट्), 2nd Person (मध्यमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), with prefix नि-: 'understand/learn'

• kaśyapāt: from Kaśyapa
• kaśyapāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaśyapa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• rāja-saṃtatim: the royal lineage
• rāja-saṃtatim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan-saṃtati (प्रातिपदिक; राजन् + संतति)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); tatpuruṣa: 'royal lineage'

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) speaking to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya (Purāṇic frame)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Kaśyapa
• Brahmavādin Brāhmaṇas
• Royal lineage (Rāja-saṃtati)

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

This verse does not directly teach Ātman-doctrine; it functions as a narrative transition, grounding later teachings in an ordered transmission (vaṃśa) that Purāṇas use to authorize dharma and spiritual knowledge.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No specific yoga practice is described in this verse. It prepares the listener for the next section by shifting from brāhmaṇa lineages to royal genealogy—contexts in which dharma, tapas, and later yogic disciplines are typically situated in the Kurma Purana.

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

It does not explicitly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu. Indirectly, it reflects the Purāṇic method where genealogies support a unified sacred history in which later Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis (including Pāśupata-oriented material) is presented as continuous with Vedic tradition.