Shloka 5

Rudra’s Cosmic Dance and the Recognition of Rudra–Nārāyaṇa Unity (Īśvara-gītā Continuation)

Devanagari script

यत् पादपङ्कजं स्मृत्वा पुरुषो ऽज्ञानजं भयम् / जहति नृत्यमानं तं भूतेशं ददृशुः किल

Transliteration

yat pādapaṅkajaṃ smṛtvā puruṣo 'jñānajaṃ bhayam / jahati nṛtyamānaṃ taṃ bhūteśaṃ dadṛśuḥ kila

Translation

En se souvenant du lotus de ses pieds, l’homme rejette la peur née de l’ignorance ; en vérité, ils virent ce Bhūteśa (Śiva), Seigneur des êtres, dansant.

Word by Word

• yat: which
• yat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्म

• pāda-paṅkajam: lotus-feet (lotus of the feet)
• pāda-paṅkajam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāda + paṅkaja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्म

• smṛtvā: having remembered
• smṛtvā: Kriya (क्रिया/पूर्वकर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: smṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• puruṣaḥ: a man/person
• puruṣaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puruṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्ता

• ajñāna-jam: born of ignorance
• ajñāna-jam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ajñāna + ja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (to bhayam)

• bhayam: fear
• bhayam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्म

• jahati: abandons, gives up
• jahati: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: hā (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• nṛtyamānam: dancing
• nṛtyamānam: Karma (कर्म/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nṛt (धातु)
• Form: शानच्-प्रत्यय वर्तमान कृदन्त (present middle participle), पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्म-विशेषण (to tam)

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्म

• bhūta-īśam: Lord of beings
• bhūta-īśam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūta + īśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्म (apposition)

• dadṛśuḥ: saw
• dadṛśuḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• kila: indeed, it is said
• kila: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kila (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle indicating report/indeed)

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator (via Vyāsa’s narration) describing the vision of Bhūteśa (Śiva)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Bhutesha

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

It links fear to ajñāna (ignorance) and implies that true spiritual vision—grounded in remembrance of the Lord’s feet—dissolves that ignorance-born fear, pointing to the Atman’s inherently fearless nature when illumined by right knowledge and devotion.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse highlights smṛti/anusmaraṇa (continuous remembrance) as a practical sādhana: sustained recollection of the Lord’s lotus-feet stabilizes the mind, weakens avidyā, and culminates in darśana (direct spiritual ‘seeing’), resonant with Pāśupata-oriented devotion and yogic concentration.

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

By presenting liberation from ignorance through devotion to Bhūteśa, the Kurma Purana’s broader Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis is reinforced: the same Supreme is approached through different divine forms, and remembrance of the Lord (here Śiva) functions as a direct means to transcend fear and delusion.