Previous Verse
Next Verse

Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 20

Genealogies of Yadus and Vṛṣṇis; Navaratha’s Refuge to Sarasvatī; Rise of Sāttvata Tradition; Prelude to Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma Incarnation

नमस्ये जगतां योनिं योगिनीं परमां कलाम् / हिरण्यगर्भमहिषीं त्रिनेत्रां चन्द्रशेखराम्

namasye jagatāṃ yoniṃ yoginīṃ paramāṃ kalām / hiraṇyagarbhamahiṣīṃ trinetrāṃ candraśekharām

Je m’incline devant le Sein de tous les mondes—la Yoginī suprême, la plus haute Puissance divine. Je m’incline devant elle, royale épouse de Hiraṇyagarbha, aux trois yeux, couronnée par la lune.

नमस्येI bow (to)
नमस्ये:
Kriyā (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootनमस् (धातु)
Formलट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन
जगताम्of the worlds
जगताम्:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootजगत् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन
योनिम्womb/source
योनिम्:
Karma (कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootयोनि (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; जगताम् इत्यस्य षष्ठीसम्बन्ध
योगिनीम्the yoginī
योगिनीम्:
Karma (कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootयोगिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; योनिम् इत्यस्य विशेषण/अप्पosition
परमाम्supreme
परमाम्:
Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootपरम (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifier) of कलाम्
कलाम्power/portion; art
कलाम्:
Karma (कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootकला (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन
हिरण्यगर्भमहिषीम्consort of Hiraṇyagarbha
हिरण्यगर्भमहिषीम्:
Karma (कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootहिरण्यगर्भ-महिषी (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (हिरण्यगर्भस्य महिषी)
त्रिनेत्राम्three-eyed
त्रिनेत्राम्:
Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootत्रि-नेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (त्रीणि नेत्राणि यस्याः)
चन्द्रशेखराम्she whose crest is the moon
चन्द्रशेखराम्:
Karma (कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootचन्द्र-शेखरा (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारयार्थ (चन्द्रः शेखरः यस्याः)

A narrator/reciter within the Purva-bhaga’s stotra context (hymnic voice addressing the Supreme Śakti, expressed with Śaiva epithets)

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Y
Yoginī
Ś
Śakti (Devī)
H
Hiraṇyagarbha
T
Tri-netra (three-eyed)
C
Candraśekhara

FAQs

By calling the deity the “womb/source of the worlds” and the “supreme kalā (divine potency),” the verse points to an ultimate reality that is both transcendent and the inner causal ground from which creation arises—Atman/Brahman understood as Śakti inseparable from Īśvara.

The epithet “Yoginī” frames the deity as the very mastery of Yoga—inviting devotional concentration (dhyāna) on the supreme power that grants yogic attainment, a theme consistent with Kūrma Purāṇa’s Pāśupata-leaning spirituality where devotion and disciplined practice converge.

Though addressed to Devī, the verse uses strongly Śaiva markers (three-eyed, moon-crested) while remaining within a Purāṇic framework that often harmonizes sectarian forms—implying one supreme reality manifesting through Śiva-Śakti idiom without denying Vaiṣṇava cosmology (e.g., Hiraṇyagarbha).