Shloka 22

Invocation, Purāṇa Lakṣaṇas, Kurma at the Samudra-manthana, and Indradyumna’s Liberation Teaching

Iśvara-Gītā Prelude

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मी भगवती सौरी वैष्णवी च प्रकीर्तिताः / चतस्त्रः संहिताः पुण्या धर्मकामार्थमोक्षदाः

Transliteration

brāhmī bhagavatī saurī vaiṣṇavī ca prakīrtitāḥ / catastraḥ saṃhitāḥ puṇyā dharmakāmārthamokṣadāḥ

Translation

അവ ബ്രാഹ്മീ, ഭഗവതീ, സൗരീ, വൈഷ്ണവീ എന്നു പ്രസിദ്ധം. ഈ നാലു പുണ്യ സംഹിതകൾ ധർമ്മം, കാമം, അർത്ഥം, മോക്ഷം എന്നിവ നൽകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• brāhmī: Brāhmī
• brāhmī: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā (1st), Ekavacana; name of a saṃhitā

• bhagavatī: Bhagavatī
• bhagavatī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; name/epithet of a saṃhitā

• saurī: Saurī
• saurī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saurī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; name of a saṃhitā

• vaiṣṇavī: Vaiṣṇavī
• vaiṣṇavī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaiṣṇavī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; name of a saṃhitā

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय/Coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय)

• prakīrtitāḥ: are proclaimed
• prakīrtitāḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-√kīrt (कीर्त्) + kta (क्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त); Bahuvacana, Prathamā; (implicit) Strīliṅga agreeing with 'saṃhitāḥ' understood; predicate 'are proclaimed'

• catasraḥ: four
• catasraḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catasṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana; numeral adjective qualifying 'saṃhitāḥ'

• saṃhitāḥ: saṃhitās/collections
• saṃhitāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃhitā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana

• puṇyāḥ: holy
• puṇyāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana; adjective qualifying 'saṃhitāḥ'

• dharmakāmārthamokṣadāḥ: granting dharma, kāma, artha, and mokṣa
• dharmakāmārthamokṣadāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + kāma (प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक) + mokṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + dā (दा, धातु) → dā (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्ताधारित)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana; compound adjective qualifying 'saṃhitāḥ'; components: dharma+kāma+artha+mokṣa (objects) + dāḥ 'givers'

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) describing the Kurma Purana’s traditional classification of teachings

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmī Saṃhitā
• Bhagavatī Saṃhitā
• Saurī Saṃhitā
• Vaiṣṇavī Saṃhitā
• Brahmā
• Sūrya
• Viṣṇu

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: by presenting the four saṃhitās as granting mokṣa along with dharma, artha, and kāma, it frames liberation as a legitimate and highest human aim—implying a teaching that culminates in Self-realization beyond mere worldly goals.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No single technique is named in this verse; it functions as a cataloging statement. Its emphasis is that the Purana’s structured teachings (saṃhitās) include disciplines that can lead up to mokṣa—later expanded in the Kurma Purana’s yoga-oriented sections (including Pāśupata-leaning guidance).

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

By acknowledging multiple divine streams (Brāhmī, Bhagavatī, Saurī, Vaiṣṇavī) as equally holy and mokṣa-giving, it supports the Purana’s inclusive synthesis—where sectarian boundaries soften and diverse revelations are treated as converging on liberation.