Shloka 29

Prākṛta Sṛṣṭi and Pralaya: From Pradhāna to Brahmāṇḍa; Trimūrti Samanvaya

Devanagari script

आकाशं शब्दमात्रं यत् स्पर्शमात्रं समावृणोत् / द्विगुणस्तु ततो वायुः शब्दस्पर्शात्मको ऽभवत्

Transliteration

ākāśaṃ śabdamātraṃ yat sparśamātraṃ samāvṛṇot / dviguṇastu tato vāyuḥ śabdasparśātmako 'bhavat

Translation

Ākāśa yang hanya ber-sifat bunyi, lalu terselubungi oleh sifat sentuh; darinya lahir Vāyu, unsur berganda dua yang berhakikat bunyi dan sentuh.

Word by Word

• ākāśam: ether/space
• ākāśam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ākāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• śabda-mātram: having only sound
• śabda-mātram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śabda (प्रातिपदिक) + mātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: śabdasya mātram = only sound) used adjectivally

• yat: which/that
• yat: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā (1st/प्रथमा) or Dvitīyā (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana; relative pronoun (यत्)

• sparśa-mātram: (as) mere touch
• sparśa-mātram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sparśa (प्रातिपदिक) + mātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: sparśasya mātram = only touch)

• samāvṛṇot: covered/enveloped
• samāvṛṇot: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√vṛ (वृञ्/वृ—धातु)
• Form: Laṅ (लङ्, imperfect/past), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd/प्रथमपुरुष), Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• dvi-guṇaḥ: twofold; having two qualities
• dvi-guṇaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvi (प्रातिपदिक) + guṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (पुंलिङ्ग), Prathamā, Ekavacana; dvigu-samāsa (द्विगु: two qualities)

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; particle (निपात) expressing contrast/emphasis

• tataḥ: from that/thereupon
• tataḥ: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय/तस्मात्-प्रभव)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb (क्रियाविशेषण) of source/sequence

• vāyuḥ: air/wind
• vāyuḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• śabda-sparśa-ātmakaḥ: consisting of sound and touch
• śabda-sparśa-ātmakaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śabda (प्रातिपदिक) + sparśa (प्रातिपदिक) + ātmaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa (समाहार/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: śabda-sparśayoḥ ātmakaḥ = consisting of sound and touch)

• abhavat: became
• abhavat: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (भू—धातु)
• Form: Laṅ (लङ्, imperfect/past), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana; parasmaipada

Speaker

Sūta (narrating Purāṇic teaching to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya; describing cosmological tattvas in the Kurma tradition)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Ākāśa
• Vāyu
• Śabda (sound)
• Sparśa (touch)

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

By mapping how sensory qualities belong to evolutes like ākāśa and vāyu, the verse implicitly distinguishes the witnessing Self from prakṛti’s produced elements—Atman is not sound or touch, but the knower of them.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

This is a jñāna-yogic foundation used in Purāṇic Yoga: contemplation on tattva-sṛṣṭi (elemental evolution) to cultivate viveka (discernment) and vairāgya (dispassion), preparing the mind for īśvara-dhyāna emphasized in the Kurma tradition.

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

Though not naming them directly, the verse serves the Kurma Purana’s unified teaching: one supreme Īśvara is presented as the source and governor of tattva-evolution, a framework compatible with both Śaiva (Pāśupata) and Vaiṣṇava devotion.