Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 36

Viṣṇu at Upamanyu’s Āśrama: Pāśupata Tapas, Darśana of Śiva, and Boons from Devī

Devanagari script

इह देवः सपत्नीको भगवान् वृषभध्वजः / क्रीडते विविधैर्भूतैर्योगिभिः परिवारितः

Transliteration

iha devaḥ sapatnīko bhagavān vṛṣabhadhvajaḥ / krīḍate vividhairbhūtairyogibhiḥ parivāritaḥ

Translation

Ici, le Seigneur—Bhagavān Vṛṣabhadhvaja (Śiva), avec Son Épouse—se livre à Son jeu divin parmi des classes innombrables d’êtres, entouré de yogins accomplis.

Word by Word

• इह: here
• इह: अधिकरण (Adhikarana/Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक

• देवः: the god
• देवः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• स-पत्नी-कः: together with (his) wife
• स-पत्नी-कः: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स (अव्यय/उपसर्गार्थ) + पत्नी (प्रातिपदिक) + क (प्रातिपदिक-प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अव्ययीभावः (सह पत्नीया) = ‘with (his) wife’

• भगवान्: the Blessed Lord
• भगवान्: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘देवः’ इत्यस्य समानाधिकरणम्

• वृषभ-ध्वजः: he whose banner is the bull (Śiva)
• वृषभ-ध्वजः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृषभ (प्रातिपदिक) + ध्वज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (यस्य ध्वजः वृषभः सः)

• क्रीडते: sports / plays
• क्रीडते: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √क्रीड् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• विविधैः: with various
• विविधैः: करण (Karana/Instrument)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विविध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; ‘भूतैः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• भूतैः: with beings
• भूतैः: सहकारक/करण (Instrument/association)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• योगिभिः: with yogis
• योगिभिः: सहकारक/करण (Instrument/association)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योगिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• परिवारितः: surrounded
• परिवारितः: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परि + √वृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘देवः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम् (surrounded)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic voice, traditionally Sūta/Vyāsa lineage) describing a Śaiva tīrtha where Śiva is present

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shringara

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Vṛṣabhadhvaja)
• Pārvatī (consort implied by sapatnīka)
• Bhūtas (Śiva-gaṇas/attendant beings)
• Yogins

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

By calling Śiva “Bhagavān” and portraying His effortless līlā amid beings and yogins, the verse implies a supreme, self-sufficient Reality that is not bound by the world yet is immanently present and approachable in sacred space.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse foregrounds accomplished “yogins” as Śiva’s attendants, echoing the Kurma Purana’s Pāśupata-leaning valuation of tapas, yogic absorption, and proximity to Īśvara through disciplined practice and tīrtha-sevā.

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

Though Śiva is named directly, the Purāṇic style of “Bhagavān” and the Kurma Purana’s broader synthesis encourage a non-sectarian reading: devotion to Śiva here aligns with the text’s Shaiva–Vaishnava harmony rather than rivalry.