Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 36

Dakṣa’s Progeny, Nṛsiṃha–Varāha Avatāras, and Andhaka’s Defeat

Hari–Hara–Śakti Synthesis

Devanagari script

विमुञ्चन् भैरवं नादं शङ्खचक्रगदाधरः / आरुह्य गरुडं देवो महामेरुरिवापरः

Transliteration

vimuñcan bhairavaṃ nādaṃ śaṅkhacakragadādharaḥ / āruhya garuḍaṃ devo mahāmerurivāparaḥ

Translation

法螺貝・円盤・棍棒を携える主は、雷鳴のごとき恐るべき咆哮を放ち、ガルダに乗りて、あたかも第二の大マハーメール山のように現れた。

Word by Word

• विमुञ्चन्: releasing/uttering
• विमुञ्चन्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + मुच् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Present active participle, शतृ), प्रथमा-एकवचन, पुंलिङ्ग (agreeing with कर्तृ)

• भैरवम्: terrible
• भैरवम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भैरव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन (accusative singular neuter)

• नादम्: sound/roar
• नादम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन (accusative singular masculine)

• शङ्खचक्रगदाधरः: the bearer of conch, discus, and mace
• शङ्खचक्रगदाधरः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्ख (प्रातिपदिक) + चक्र (प्रातिपदिक) + गदा (प्रातिपदिक) + धर (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष समास (genitive determinative): शङ्खं च चक्रं च गदां च धरति इति; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन

• आरुह्य: having mounted
• आरुह्य: Kriya-viseshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + रुह् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive), ‘having mounted’

• गरुडम्: Garuḍa
• गरुडम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गरुड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• देवः: the god (Lord)
• देवः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन

• महामेरुः: great Meru (mountain)
• महामेरुः: Upamana (उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महामेरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय समास: महांश्चासौ मेरुः; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• इव: like/as
• इव: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमा-अव्यय (particle of comparison)

• अपरः: another/second
• अपरः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (कर्तृसमानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (predicate adjective)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator describing Lord Viṣṇu/Kūrma’s manifestation)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: raudra

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu (Hari/Narayana)
• Garuḍa
• Śaṅkha (Pāñcajanya)
• Cakra (Sudarśana)
• Gadā (Kaumodakī)
• Mahāmeru

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

By portraying the Lord as awe-inspiring yet ordered (bearing śaṅkha-cakra-gadā), the verse signals a Supreme Reality that is both transcendent (Mahāmeru-like, cosmic) and immanent (personally manifest), a hallmark of the Kurma Purana’s theistic non-dual tone.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

While not prescribing a technique directly, the emphasis on nāda (powerful sound) supports a contemplative reading aligned with nāda-upāsanā and dhyāna: the mind is gathered through awe (bhairava) and steadied on the Lord’s concrete symbols (śaṅkha-cakra-gadā) as an aid to one-pointed devotion and yogic concentration.

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

The term bhairava (often resonant with Śaiva imagery) applied to the Lord’s nāda, alongside Viṣṇu’s clear iconography, reflects the Kurma Purana’s synthetic style—Śaiva vocabulary and Vaishnava form converging to communicate a single Supreme divinity expressed through multiple theological idioms.