Shloka 20

Cosmic Manifestation, Mahāmāyā’s Mandate, Varṇāśrama-Dharma, and the Unity of the Trimūrti

Devanagari script

श्रियं ददाति विपुलां पुष्टिं मेधां यशो बलम् / अर्चिता भगवत्पत्नी तस्माल्लक्ष्मीं समर्चयेत्

Transliteration

śriyaṃ dadāti vipulāṃ puṣṭiṃ medhāṃ yaśo balam / arcitā bhagavatpatnī tasmāllakṣmīṃ samarcayet

Translation

ഭഗവാന്റെ പത്നിയായ ലക്ഷ്മിയെ ആരാധിച്ചാൽ അവൾ അപാരമായ ശ്രീ, പുഷ്ടി, മേധ, യശസ്, ബലം എന്നിവ നൽകുന്നു; അതിനാൽ ലക്ഷ്മിയെ വിധിപൂർവ്വം പൂജിക്കണം।

Word by Word

• śriyam: Prosperity/Glory
• śriyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• dadāti: Gives/Bestows
• dadāti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: Present Tense (Lat/लट्), 3rd Person (Prathama), Singular

• vipulām: Abundant/Vast
• vipulām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vipulā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• puṣṭim: Nourishment/Growth
• puṣṭim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• medhām: Intellect/Wisdom
• medhām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: medhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• yaśaḥ: Fame/Reputation
• yaśaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yaśas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• balam: Strength/Power
• balam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• arcitā: Worshipped/Honored
• arcitā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: arc (धातु) + kta (प्रत्यय)
• Form: Past Passive Participle, Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• bhagavatpatnī: Wife of the Lord (Lakshmi)
• bhagavatpatnī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat + patnī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular. (bhagavataḥ patnī)

• tasmāt: Therefore
• tasmāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Ablative used as Conjunction/Adverb

• lakṣmīm: Goddess Lakshmi
• lakṣmīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lakṣmī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• samarcayet: One should worship
• samarcayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam + arc (धातु)
• Form: Potential Mood (Vidhilin/विधिलिङ्), 3rd Person (Prathama), Singular

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) conveying the Purāṇic teaching on Śrī-Lakṣmī worship within the Kurma Purana’s dharma framework

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Lakshmi
• Sri (Śrī)
• Bhagavat (the Lord, Vishnu/Narayana)

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: it presents Lakṣmī as the Lord’s śakti who grants worldly supports (prosperity, strength, intelligence). In Kurma Purana’s integrated theology, such gifts are aids for dharmic living and for progressing toward higher knowledge of the Self rather than ends in themselves.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse emphasizes upāsanā (devotional worship) as a discipline: reverent honoring (arcana) of Lakṣmī to cultivate ordered life, steadiness, and resources—supports that later mature into deeper sādhanā (including the Kurma Purana’s yogic and Pāśupata-oriented teachings elsewhere).

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

By focusing on the Lord (Bhagavat) and his consort as the bestowers of auspicious power, it reflects the Purāṇa’s synthetic approach: divine śakti and īśvara are honored as a unified source of welfare, a framework compatible with both Vaiṣṇava Lakṣmī-upāsanā and broader Śaiva-Śākta understandings of śakti.