Shloka 48

Īśvara-gītā: Antaryāmin, Kāla, and the Divine Ordinance Governing Creation, Preservation, and Pralaya

Devanagari script

यो वै देहभृतां देवः पुरुषः पठ्यते परः / आत्मासौ वर्तते नित्यमीश्वरस्य नियोगतः

Transliteration

yo vai dehabhṛtāṃ devaḥ puruṣaḥ paṭhyate paraḥ / ātmāsau vartate nityamīśvarasya niyogataḥ

Translation

Dia yang dipuji sebagai Purusha Tertinggi, Tuhan ilahi di dalam semua makhluk berjasad, itulah Ātman yang senantiasa bersemayam menurut titah Īśvara.

Word by Word

• यः: he who
• यः: कर्ता (Karta/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• वै: indeed
• वै: सम्बन्धसूचक (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle) ‘indeed/verily’

• देहभृताम्: of embodied beings
• देहभृताम्: सम्बन्ध (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देह + भृत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—देहं भृतः इति उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (bearers of bodies = embodied beings)

• देवः: god, deity
• देवः: कर्ता (Karta/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पुरुषः: person, spirit
• पुरुषः: कर्ता (Karta/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पठ्यते: is called/recited
• पठ्यते: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पठ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive), आत्मनेपदम्; ‘is recited/called’

• परः: supreme
• परः: विशेषण (Viśeṣaṇa)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (supreme)

• आत्मा: Self
• आत्मा: कर्ता (Karta/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

• असौ: that one, he
• असौ: कर्ता (Karta/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असद्/अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; संकेतसर्वनाम (that/he)

• वर्तते: abides/exists
• वर्तते: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वृत् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: कालाधिकरण (Temporal adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial accusative) ‘always’

• ईश्वरस्य: of the Lord
• ईश्वरस्य: सम्बन्ध (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नियोगतः: by (his) ordinance
• नियोगतः: हेतु/निमित्त (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नियोग (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (तद्धित)
• Form: अव्यय (तसिल्/तस्-प्रत्ययान्त) ‘from/according to’; हेत्वर्थे (causal)

Speaker

Lord Kūrma (as the teacher of the Īśvara-Gītā discourse)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Puruṣa
• Ātman
• Īśvara

FAQs

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

It identifies the supreme Puruṣa as the very Ātman within embodied beings—ever-present and enduring—rather than a transient product of the body.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse supports Ātma-vicāra and īśvara-smṛti in Yoga: meditation that recognizes the inner Self as the supreme Puruṣa while aligning one’s life and practice with Īśvara’s niyoga (divine order), a key orientation in the Kurma Purana’s Pāśupata-leaning discipline.

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

By centering Īśvara as the governing Lord and the supreme Puruṣa as the inner Self, it frames divinity non-sectarianly—consistent with the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis where the one Lord is understood through multiple theistic names and forms.