Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 25

Tāmasa Sarga, the Androgynous Division of Brahmā, and the Lineages of Dharma and Adharma

Devanagari script

जज्ञे हिंसा त्वधर्माद् वै निकृतिं चानृतं सुतम् / निकृत्यनृतयोर्जज्ञे भयं नरक एव च

Transliteration

jajñe hiṃsā tvadharmād vai nikṛtiṃ cānṛtaṃ sutam / nikṛtyanṛtayorjajñe bhayaṃ naraka eva ca

Translation

D’Adharma naquit en vérité Hiṃsā (la violence), et ses fils furent Nikṛti (la faute perfide) et Anṛta (le mensonge). De Nikṛti et d’Anṛta naquirent ensuite Bhaya (la peur) et Naraka (l’enfer).

Word by Word

• jajñe: was born/arose
• jajñe: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्सभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular), आत्मनेपद

• hiṃsā: violence
• hiṃsā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hiṃsā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), प्रथमा (Nom. 1), एकवचन

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/अन्वयार्थे ‘but/indeed’

• adharmāt: from adharma (unrighteousness)
• adharmāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), पञ्चमी (Abl. 5), एकवचन

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• nikṛtim: deceit/treachery
• nikṛtim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nikṛti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), द्वितीया (Acc. 2), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय (conjunction)

• anṛtam: falsehood/untruth
• anṛtam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), द्वितीया (Acc. 2), एकवचन

• sutam: son/offspring
• sutam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: suta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), द्वितीया (Acc. 2), एकवचन; ‘पुत्र’ अर्थे

• nikṛti-anṛtayoḥ: of Nikṛti and Anṛta
• nikṛti-anṛtayoḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nikṛti (प्रातिपदिक) + anṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्वसमास (copulative); द्वयोः षष्ठी (Gen. 6), द्विवचनार्थे रूपम् (dual sense)

• jajñe: was born
• jajñe: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• bhayam: fear
• bhayam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), प्रथमा (Nom. 1), एकवचन

• narakaḥ: hell
• narakaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा (Nom. 1), एकवचन

• eva: indeed/only
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण (restrictive particle)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय (conjunction)

Speaker

Sūta (narrating Purāṇic genealogy to the sages)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa

Characters & Entities

• Adharma
• Hiṃsā
• Nikṛti
• Anṛta
• Bhaya
• Naraka

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: it maps how adharma proliferates into inner torment (fear) and experiential hell (naraka), implying that purification and truthfulness are prerequisites for steady self-knowledge and yogic clarity.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse points to foundational yamas: ahiṃsā (non-injury) and satya (truth). In the Kurma Purana’s broader yogic ethic, restraint from violence and falsehood is a necessary ground for mantra, dhyāna, and Pāśupata-style purification.

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

Not by explicit names here; the synthesis is thematic: both Śaiva-Pāśupata and Vaiṣṇava dharma frameworks treat ahiṃsā and satya as universal disciplines, showing a shared ethical base supporting liberation-oriented practice.