Shloka 24

Genealogies from Purūravas to the Haihayas; Jayadhvaja’s Vaiṣṇava Resolve, Sage-Adjudication, and the Slaying of Videha

Devanagari script

तानब्रवीन्महातेजा एष धर्मः परो मम / विष्णोरंशेन संभूता राजानो यन्महीतले

Transliteration

tānabravīnmahātejā eṣa dharmaḥ paro mama / viṣṇoraṃśena saṃbhūtā rājāno yanmahītale

Translation

大いなる光輝を放つ者は彼らに告げた。「これこそ我が最上のダルマである。地上の王たちはヴィシュヌ（Viṣṇu）の一分より生まれるのだ。」

Word by Word

• तान्: them
• तान्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• अब्रवीत्: said
• अब्रवीत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• महातेजाः: the great-splendored one
• महातेजाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक) + तेजस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि-समास (महत्तेजो यस्य सः)

• एषः: this
• एषः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• धर्मः: dharma; duty
• धर्मः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• परः: supreme
• परः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (धर्मः इति)

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• विष्णोः: of Viṣṇu
• विष्णोः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• अंशेन: by a portion; by an aspect
• अंशेन: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अंश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• संभूताः: born; arisen
• संभूताः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + भू (धातु) → संभूत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/भूतभावे (past participle)

• राजानः: kings
• राजानः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• यत्: since; that
• यत्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun used adverbially/connector); अव्ययीभावेन ‘यत्/यद्’ = ‘since/that’ (here linking clause)

• मही-तले: on the earth’s surface
• मही-तले: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मही (प्रातिपदिक) + तल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (महेः तलम्)

Speaker

Lord Kurma (Vishnu) speaking

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: vira

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Kings (Rājānaḥ)
• Dharma
• Earth (Mahītala)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

How does this verse explain the basis of political authority in the Kurma Purana?

It grounds kingship in divinity: the king is portrayed as arising from a portion (aṃśa) of Viṣṇu, so rulership is legitimate only when aligned with Dharma rather than personal power.

What ethical expectation does the phrase “eṣa dharmaḥ paro mama” imply for rulers?

It implies that the king must embody the Lord’s “highest Dharma”—protecting order, justice, and varṇāśrama responsibilities as a sacred trust, not as mere administration.

How does this verse fit the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis?

By making kingship a divine instrument of Dharma (here expressed through Viṣṇu-aṃśa), it supports the Purana’s broader synthesis where governance, worship, and yoga serve the same supreme order—often harmonized with Shaiva ideals of discipline and duty.