Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 50

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

Hari–Hara–Śakti Synthesis

Devanagari script

नृसिंहवपुरव्यक्तो हिरण्यकशिपोः पुरे / आविर्बभूव सहसा मोहयन् दैत्यपुङ्गवान्

Transliteration

nṛsiṃhavapuravyakto hiraṇyakaśipoḥ pure / āvirbabhūva sahasā mohayan daityapuṅgavān

Translation

ಹಿರಣ್ಯಕಶಿಪುವಿನ ನಗರದಲ್ಲಿ, ಅವ್ಯಕ್ತವಾಗಿದ್ದ ನೃಸಿಂಹವಪುವಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಭು ಸಹಸಾ ಅವಿರ್ಭವಿಸಿ ದೈತ್ಯಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠನನ್ನು ಮೋಹಗೊಳಿಸಿದನು।

Word by Word

• nṛsiṃha-vapuḥ-vyaktaḥ: manifest in the form of Narasiṃha
• nṛsiṃha-vapuḥ-vyaktaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject; predicate epithet)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nṛ+siṃha+vapus+vyakta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Adjective, Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; compound: तत्पुरुष (नृसिंहस्य वपुः येन व्यक्तः/नृसिंहवपुषा व्यक्तः)

• hiraṇyakaśipoḥ: of Hiraṇyakaśipu
• hiraṇyakaśipoḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hiraṇyakaśipu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular

• pure: in the city/palace
• pure: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular

• āvir: manifestly/into view
• āvir: Kriya-viseshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: āvis (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, adverb (आविः) meaning ‘manifestly/into view’

• babhūva: appeared/became
• babhūva: Kriya (क्रिया/Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: Verb, Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person, Singular, Parasmaipada; from √भू

• sahasā: suddenly
• sahasā: Kriya-viseshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sahasā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, adverb (सहसा)

• mohayan: bewildering
• mohayan: Karta (कर्ता/Subject; participial action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: muh (धातु)
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ) of causative (णिजन्त) √मुह् → मोहय-; Masculine, Nominative, Singular; agrees with subject

• daitya-puṅgavān: the foremost of the demons
• daitya-puṅgavān: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daitya+puṅgava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural; compound: तत्पुरुष (दैत्येषु पुङ्गवाः)

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator (Vyāsa’s narration in the Kurma Purana’s narrative voice)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: raudra

Characters & Entities

• Narasimha
• Hiranyakashipu
• Daityas

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

By calling the Lord’s Narasiṃha-form “unmanifest” yet able to “become manifest,” the verse points to the Supreme as transcendent (beyond ordinary perception) while freely revealing Himself through māyā for the protection of dharma.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No specific technique is prescribed in this verse; its yogic teaching is the primacy of īśvara-anugraha (divine grace): the unmanifest Lord can suddenly appear when dharma requires—an idea harmonized with Kurma Purana’s broader emphasis on devotion, discipline, and God-realization.

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

Though the verse names a Vaiṣṇava avatāra (Narasiṃha), Kurma Purana’s synthesis frames such manifestations as the one Supreme Lord’s compassionate intervention—compatible with the text’s non-sectarian vision where Śiva and Viṣṇu are expressions of the same īśvara.