Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 79

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

Devanagari script

षोडशस्त्रीसहस्त्राणि कृष्णस्याक्लिष्टकर्मणः / बभूवुरात्मजास्तासु शतशो ऽथ सहस्त्रशः

Transliteration

ṣoḍaśastrīsahastrāṇi kṛṣṇasyākliṣṭakarmaṇaḥ / babhūvurātmajāstāsu śataśo 'tha sahastraśaḥ

Translation

Kṛṣṇa — dont les actes sont sans effort et sans souillure — eut seize mille épouses ; et d’elles naquirent des fils, par centaines, et même par milliers.

Word by Word

• ṣoḍaśa-strī-sahasrāṇi: sixteen thousand women
• ṣoḍaśa-strī-sahasrāṇi: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṣoḍaśa + strī + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative, 1st), बहुवचन (Plural); समासः—द्विगु (Dvigu: “sixteen thousand women”)

• kṛṣṇasya: of Kṛṣṇa
• kṛṣṇasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive, 6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• akliṣṭa-karmaṇaḥ: of him whose deeds are unwearied
• akliṣṭa-karmaṇaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier of kṛṣṇasya)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-kliṣṭa + karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive, 6th), एकवचन (Singular); समासः—तत्पुरुष (Tatpurusha: “untroubled deeds”)

• babhūvuḥ: became/were
• babhūvuḥ: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (भू धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ātmajāḥ: sons/children
• ātmajāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātmaja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative, 1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• tāsu: among them (those women)
• tāsu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative, 7th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• śataśaḥ: by hundreds
• śataśaḥ: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śataśas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (Avyaya), प्रकार/परिमाण-अव्यय (distributive adverb: “by hundreds”)

• atha: then/and
• atha: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Avyaya), अवधान/अनन्तर (particle: “then/and”)

• sahasraśaḥ: by thousands
• sahasraśaḥ: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sahasraśas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (Avyaya), प्रकार/परिमाण-अव्यय (distributive adverb: “by thousands”)

Speaker

Sūta (narrating to the sages), within the Purāṇic genealogical narration

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shringara

Characters & Entities

• Kṛṣṇa

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: by calling Kṛṣṇa “akliṣṭa-karmaṇaḥ,” it points to divine action that does not bind—suggesting the Lord’s transcendence of karmic limitation, unlike embodied beings whose actions generate bondage.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No specific yogic practice is taught in this verse; it is a dynastic statement. Its implicit teaching aligns with karma-yoga theology: the divine can act in the world without kleśa (affliction) or bondage, a theme elaborated elsewhere in the Kurma Purana’s broader Śaiva-Vaiṣṇava synthesis.

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

The verse does not explicitly mention Śiva. Within the Kurma Purana’s overall non-sectarian frame, it treats Kṛṣṇa’s divinity as transcendent and unbinding—compatible with the text’s broader teaching that the Supreme is one, praised through multiple forms.