Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 32

Adhyāya 25 — Liṅga-māhātmya (The Chapter on the Liṅga): Hari’s Śiva-Worship and the Fiery Pillar Theophany

Devanagari script

वीक्ष्य यान्तममित्रघ्नं गन्धर्वाप्सरसां वराः / अन्वगच्छन् महोयोगं शङ्खचक्रगदाधरम्

Transliteration

vīkṣya yāntamamitraghnaṃ gandharvāpsarasāṃ varāḥ / anvagacchan mahoyogaṃ śaṅkhacakragadādharam

Translation

Voyant s’éloigner le Tueur des ennemis, les plus éminents parmi les Gandharvas et les Apsaras le suivirent — le Grand Yogin portant la conque, le disque et la massue.

Word by Word

• vīkṣya: having seen
• vīkṣya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-īkṣ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund), धातु: ईक्ष् with उपसर्ग vi-

• yāntam: going
• yāntam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त, शतृ (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• amitra-ghnam: enemy-slayer
• amitra-ghnam: Karma (कर्म) as epithet of the one seen
• Type: Noun
• Root: amitra (प्रातिपदिक) + ghna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (अमित्रं हन्ति इति)

• gandharva-apsarasām: of the Gandharvas and Apsarases
• gandharva-apsarasām: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gandharva (प्रातिपदिक) + apsaras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (समाहार/समुदायार्थे), षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (गन्धर्वाश्च अप्सरसश्च)

• varāḥ: the excellent ones
• varāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), बहुवचन

• anvagacchan: followed
• anvagacchan: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: anu-√gam (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद; उपसर्ग anu-; रूपम्: अन्वगच्छन्

• mahā-yogam: the great yogin / great yoga-possessor
• mahā-yogam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + yoga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महान् योगः)

• śaṅkha-cakra-gadā-dharam: the bearer of conch, discus, and mace
• śaṅkha-cakra-gadā-dharam: Karma (कर्म) as epithet
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṅkha (प्रातिपदिक) + cakra (प्रातिपदिक) + gadā (प्रातिपदिक) + dhara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (शङ्खं चक्रं गदां च धरति)

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator (contextual narration within the Kurma Purana’s Purva-bhaga)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: vira

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu (Mahāyogin, Śaṅkha-Cakra-Gadādhara)
• Gandharvas
• Apsaras

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

By calling the Lord “Mahāyogin,” the verse hints that the Supreme is the master of Yoga—transcendent yet present as the object of contemplation, whose divine form (with conch, discus, and mace) becomes a support for realizing the inner Self.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse emphasizes yogic contemplation of the Lord’s form (saguṇa-upāsanā) as a yogic aid—meditating on the Mahāyogin identified by śaṅkha, cakra, and gadā—an approach compatible with the Kurma Purana’s broader yoga-teachings, including later Pāśupata-oriented discipline.

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

Though explicitly Vaiṣṇava in iconography, the title “Mahāyogin” resonates with Śaiva yoga language; the Kurma Purana frequently uses such shared yogic vocabulary to present a harmonized Shaiva–Vaishnava theological frame.