Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 17

Mādhayameśvara-māhātmya — Vyāsa at Mandākinī and the Pāśupata Vision

Devanagari script

विसर्जयित्वा ताञ्छिष्यान् सुमन्तुप्रमुखांस्ततः / प्रोवाच तत्परं ज्ञानं योगिभ्यो योगवित्तमः

Transliteration

visarjayitvā tāñchiṣyān sumantupramukhāṃstataḥ / provāca tatparaṃ jñānaṃ yogibhyo yogavittamaḥ

Translation

Après avoir congédié ces disciples—Sumantu et les autres—lui, le plus éminent connaisseur du Yoga, exposa alors aux yogin la connaissance suprême, la plus haute.

Word by Word

• विसर्जयित्वा: having dismissed/sent away
• विसर्जयित्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषणम्)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-√सृज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया; उपसर्ग: वि-

• तान्: those
• तान्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural (बहुवचन)

• शिष्यान्: disciples
• शिष्यान्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural (बहुवचन)

• सुमन्तु-प्रमुखान्: having Sumantu as the foremost (i.e., headed by Sumantu)
• सुमन्तु-प्रमुखान्: Viśeṣaṇa of शिष्यान् (विशेषणम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुमन्तु (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रमुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural; समास: सुमन्तुः प्रमुखः येषां ते (सुमन्तुप्रमुखाः)

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Kāla/Anantarya (काल/अनन्तर्य)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb (क्रियाविशेषण) of sequence

• प्रोवाच: said/spoke
• प्रोवाच: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-√वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular); उपसर्ग: प्र-

• तत्-परम्: supreme/that highest
• तत्-परम्: Viśeṣaṇa of ज्ञानम् (विशेषणम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd), Singular; समास: तस्मिन् परम् (that-supreme/that-oriented)

• ज्ञानम्: knowledge
• ज्ञानम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• योगिभ्यः: to the yogins
• योगिभ्यः: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योगिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Plural (बहुवचन)

• योग-वित्तमः: the best knower of yoga
• योग-वित्तमः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योग (प्रातिपदिक) + वित्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; समास: योगं वेत्ति इति (yoga-knower); वित्तमः = superlative sense ‘best’

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator describing the sage’s transmission of knowledge within the Kurma Purana’s teaching lineage)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Sumantu
• Yogins

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

It frames liberation-oriented teaching as “para-jñāna”—knowledge oriented to the Supreme Reality (That/Iśvara), indicating that realization is transmitted as highest wisdom beyond ordinary instruction.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse emphasizes qualified transmission: the “foremost knower of Yoga” teaches “to the yogins,” implying disciplined practitioners receive the highest instruction—typically integrating yogic restraint, contemplation, and God-centered (Īśvara-oriented) knowledge in the Kurma Purana’s synthesis.

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

While not naming Śiva or Viṣṇu directly, the verse reflects the Purāṇa’s non-sectarian pedagogy: supreme knowledge (para-jñāna) is taught as a Yoga-centered path accessible within the text’s broader Śaiva–Vaiṣṇava harmonization.