Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 107

Adhyāya 25 — Liṅga-māhātmya (The Chapter on the Liṅga): Hari’s Śiva-Worship and the Fiery Pillar Theophany

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मणे वामदेवाय त्रिनेत्राय महीयसे / शङ्कराय महेशाय गिरीशाय शिवाय च

Transliteration

brahmaṇe vāmadevāya trinetrāya mahīyase / śaṅkarāya maheśāya girīśāya śivāya ca

Translation

ബ്രഹ്മസ്വരൂപനായ വാമദേവനു, ത്രിനേത്രനു, മഹിമയുള്ള മഹാനു നമസ്കാരം. ശങ്കരൻ, മഹേശൻ, ഗിരീശൻ, ശിവൻ എന്നിവർക്കും നമസ്കാരം.

Word by Word

• brahmaṇe: to Brahman / to Brahmā (as epithet)
• brahmaṇe: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter stem ‘brahman’; here Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular (brahmaṇe)

• vāmadevāya: to Vāmadeva
• vāmadevāya: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāma + deva (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: Masculine, Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular; Karmadhāraya (कर्मधारय) ‘vāma-deva’ = ‘auspicious deity / Vāmadeva’

• trinetrāya: to the three-eyed one
• trinetrāya: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri + netra (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: Masculine, Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular; Dvigu (द्विगु) ‘tri-netra’ = ‘three-eyed’

• mahīyase: to the greater/most venerable one
• mahīyase: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahīyas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular; comparative adjective (तुलनात्मक) ‘greater, more venerable’ used as epithet

• śaṅkarāya: to Śaṅkara
• śaṅkarāya: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṅkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular

• maheśāya: to Maheśa (Great Lord)
• maheśāya: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + īśa (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: Masculine, Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular; Karmadhāraya (कर्मधारय) ‘mahā-īśa’ = ‘great lord’

• girīśāya: to Girīśa (Lord of the mountain)
• girīśāya: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: giri + īśa (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: Masculine, Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular; Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) ‘giri-īśa’ = ‘lord of mountains’

• śivāya: to Śiva
• śivāya: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular

• ca: and
• ca: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक)

Speaker

A narrator/reciter within the Purana (hymnic praise section addressing Lord Shiva/Rudra)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Brahman
• Vāmadeva
• Rudra
• Śaṅkara
• Maheśa
• Girīśa
• Śiva

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

By saluting Shiva as “Brahman,” the verse identifies the Lord with the Absolute reality—implying the Supreme Self is not merely a deity-form but the transcendent Brahman, approached through divine epithets.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse supports mantra-based upāsanā: contemplation through sacred names (nāma-smaraṇa) and reverential salutations (namas), a devotional discipline that steadies the mind and aligns it with Īśvara—often treated as a preparatory limb for higher Pāśupata-oriented practice.

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

By framing Shiva with the title “Brahman,” the verse leans toward a non-sectarian, non-dual reading typical of the Kurma Purana’s synthesis—where the supreme reality can be praised as Shiva (and elsewhere as Vishnu/Kurma) without contradiction.