Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 63

Sapta-dvīpa Cosmography and the Vision of Śvetadvīpa–Vaikuṇṭha

Devanagari script

विचिन्त्यमानो योगीन्द्रैः सनन्दनपुरोगमैः / स्वात्मानन्दामृतं पीत्वा परं तत् तमसः परम्

Transliteration

vicintyamāno yogīndraiḥ sanandanapurogamaiḥ / svātmānandāmṛtaṃ pītvā paraṃ tat tamasaḥ param

Translation

Contemplé par les plus grands yogins, conduits par Sanandana, après avoir bu le nectar de béatitude du Soi, ce Suprême Réel demeure au-delà même des ténèbres (tamas), transcendant tout.

Word by Word

• विचिन्त्यमानः: being meditated upon
• विचिन्त्यमानः: विशेषण (Qualifier of subject/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + चिन्त् (धातु) → विचिन्त्यमान (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (present passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘being contemplated’

• योगीन्द्रैः: by the lords of yogins (great yogis)
• योगीन्द्रैः: कर्ता (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योगीन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

• सनन्दन-पुरोगमैः: led by Sanandana (and others)
• सनन्दन-पुरोगमैः: कर्ता (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सनन्दन (प्रातिपदिक) + पुरोगम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन; विशेषण (led by Sanandana)

• स्व-आत्म-आनन्द-अमृतम्: the nectar of bliss of one’s own Self
• स्व-आत्म-आनन्द-अमृतम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + आनन्द (प्रातिपदिक) + अमृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• पीत्वा: having drunk
• पीत्वा: पूर्वकाल-क्रिया (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); ‘having drunk’

• परम्: supreme
• परम्: विशेषण (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• तत्: that (reality)
• तत्: कर्म/विषय (Object/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (that)

• तमसः: of darkness/ignorance
• तमसः: सम्बन्ध (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• परम्: beyond
• परम्: विशेषण (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (beyond)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic voice describing the Supreme as realized by Yogins)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Sanandana
• Yogindras
• Ātman

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

It presents the Supreme as directly realizable as the nectar-like bliss of one’s own Self (svātmānanda), and as a reality that transcends tamas—ignorance, obscuration, and spiritual darkness.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse emphasizes vicāra/dhyāna—steady contemplation by accomplished yogins—culminating in inner assimilation (‘drinking’) of Self-bliss, a classic Yogic marker of samādhi-like realization beyond the guṇas, especially beyond tamas.

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

Rather than naming either deity, it speaks in a shared Purāṇic idiom of the one Supreme Reality realized in Yoga—supporting the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis where the highest truth is beyond sectarian limitation and beyond tamas.