Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 14

Sūrya-vaṃśa Genealogy and the Supremacy of Tapas: Gāyatrī-Japa, Rudra-Darśana, and Śatarudrīya Upadeśa

Devanagari script

गौतम उवाच आराध्य पूर्वपुरुषं नारायणमनामयम् / अनादिनिधनं देवं धार्मिकं प्राप्नुयात् सुतम्

Transliteration

gautama uvāca ārādhya pūrvapuruṣaṃ nārāyaṇamanāmayam / anādinidhanaṃ devaṃ dhārmikaṃ prāpnuyāt sutam

Translation

ໂກຕະມະກ່າວວ່າ: ຜູ້ໃດບູຊານາຣາຍະນະ ປຸຣຸສະບູຮານ ຜູ້ບໍ່ມີທຸກໂທດ ເປັນພຣະເຈົ້າບໍ່ມີຕົ້ນບໍ່ມີປາຍ ແລະຊົງຮັກສາທຳ ຈະໄດ້ບຸດຜູ້ຊອບທຳ ຍຶດທຳມະ.

Word by Word

• गौतमः: Gautama
• गौतमः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गौतम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: क्रिया (Verb/Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• आराध्य: having worshipped
• आराध्य: पूर्वकाल-क्रिया (पूर्वकर्म/Absolutive relation)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-राध् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), ‘having worshipped’

• पूर्वपुरुषम्: the primeval Person
• पूर्वपुरुषम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व + पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• नारायणम्: Nārāyaṇa
• नारायणम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• अनामयम्: free from disease/blemish
• अनामयम्: कर्मविशेषण (Object-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनामय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier) नारायणम्-इति

• अनादिनिधनम्: without beginning and without end
• अनादिनिधनम्: कर्मविशेषण (Object-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनादि + निधन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier) देवं-इति

• देवम्: the god
• देवम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• धार्मिकम्: righteous
• धार्मिकम्: कर्मविशेषण (Object-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धार्मिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier) सुतम्-इति

• प्राप्नुयात्: may obtain
• प्राप्नुयात्: क्रिया (Verb/Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सुतम्: a son
• सुतम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Gautama

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Gautama
• Narayana
• Purva-Purusha

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

By describing Nārāyaṇa as the “primeval Person,” beginningless and endless, the verse points to the Supreme as an unconditioned, timeless reality—beyond decay and affliction—who is the ultimate ground of being.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse emphasizes ārādhana (devotional worship/steady propitiation) as a disciplined spiritual practice—an applied form of bhakti-sādhana aligned with dharma—where focused reverence toward the eternal Lord yields both inner merit and dhārmic outcomes.

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

While explicitly praising Nārāyaṇa, it reflects the Kurma Purana’s broader synthetic theology in which devotion to the Supreme Lord (whether approached as Vishnu/Nārāyaṇa or in Shaiva frames elsewhere) is upheld as dharma-supporting and spiritually efficacious.