Shloka 9

Prākṛta-pralaya, Pratisarga Doctrine, and the Ishvara-Samanvaya of Yoga and Devotion

Devanagari script

सहस्रनयनो देवः सहस्राकृतिरिश्वरः / सहस्रहस्तचरणः सहस्रार्चिर्महाभुजः

Transliteration

sahasranayano devaḥ sahasrākṛtiriśvaraḥ / sahasrahastacaraṇaḥ sahasrārcirmahābhujaḥ

Translation

ആ ദേവേശ്വരൻ സഹസ്രനയനനും സഹസ്രാകൃതിയുമാണ്; സഹസ്രഹസ്തചരണനായി, സഹസ്രാർച്ഛിസ്സുപോലെ ദീപ്തിമാനായി, മഹാബാഹുവായി നിലകൊള്ളുന്നു.

Word by Word

• sahasra: thousand
• sahasra: —
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Numeral/adjectival stem; used as first member in compounds meaning ‘thousand’

• nayanaḥ: eye
• nayanaḥ: —
• Type: Noun
• Root: nayana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka/masculine usage; here as compound member ‘eye’

• sahasra-nayanaḥ: thousand-eyed
• sahasra-nayanaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sahasra (प्रातिपदिक) + nayana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Bahuvrīhi (बहुव्रीहि): ‘one who has a thousand eyes’; Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• devaḥ: the god
• devaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• sahasra-ākṛtiḥ: of a thousand forms
• sahasra-ākṛtiḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sahasra (प्रातिपदिक) + ākṛti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Bahuvrīhi (बहुव्रीहि): ‘having a thousand forms/appearances’; Feminine stem ākṛti used adjectivally; Masculine referent, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• īśvaraḥ: the Lord
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• sahasra-hasta-caraṇaḥ: with a thousand hands and feet
• sahasra-hasta-caraṇaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sahasra (प्रातिपदिक) + hasta (प्रातिपदिक) + caraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Bahuvrīhi (बहुव्रीहि): ‘having a thousand hands and feet’; Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• sahasra-arciḥ: thousand-rayed/flamed
• sahasra-arciḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sahasra (प्रातिपदिक) + arciṣ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Bahuvrīhi (बहुव्रीहि): ‘having a thousand flames/rays’; Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• mahā-bhujaḥ: great-armed
• mahā-bhujaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + bhuja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Bahuvrīhi (बहुव्रीहि): ‘having great arms’; Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Narrator/compilers’ voice (Purāṇic narration describing the Supreme Lord’s cosmic attributes; framed within the Kurma Purana’s theistic teaching)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara
• Deva (Supreme Lord)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

By portraying Īśvara as “thousand-eyed” and “of a thousand forms,” the verse points to an all-pervading consciousness that sees through all beings and appears as the manifold—suggesting the One Self present in and as the many.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

It supports īśvara-dhyāna (meditation on the Lord’s viśvarūpa): contemplating the omniscient vision (many eyes), omnipotent activity (many hands/feet), and inner radiance (many rays) to steady the mind in devotion and concentration—aligned with the Kurma Purana’s Yoga-shāstra tone and Pāśupata-oriented theism.

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

The verse uses the inclusive title “Īśvara” and a cosmic-form theology that the Kurma Purana often applies in a non-sectarian way—supporting the Purāṇa’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis where the Supreme Lord is one, described through shared attributes of sovereignty, omniscience, and universal form.