Shloka 6

Īśvara-gītā: The Supreme Lord as Brahman, the Source of Creation, and the Inner Self

Devanagari script

ये चान्ये बहवो जीवा मन्मयाः सर्व एव ते / न मां पश्यन्ति पितरं मायया मम मोहिताः

Transliteration

ye cānye bahavo jīvā manmayāḥ sarva eva te / na māṃ paśyanti pitaraṃ māyayā mama mohitāḥ

Translation

മറ്റു അനേകം ജീവികളും—എല്ലാവരും—എന്നിൽ വ്യാപിച്ചവരാണ്; എങ്കിലും എന്റെ മായയിൽ മോഹിതരായി അവർ എന്നെ, പിതാവായ എന്നെ, കാണുന്നില്ല।

Word by Word

• ye: who (those who)
• ye: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

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

• anye: other
• anye: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); adjective qualifying jīvāḥ

• bahavaḥ: many
• bahavaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); adjective qualifying jīvāḥ

• jīvāḥ: living beings
• jīvāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jīva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• mat-mayāḥ: consisting of me
• mat-mayāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + mayaṭ/maya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); tatpuruṣa: mat-maya = made of me/consisting of me

• sarve: all
• sarve: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); agrees with te/jīvāḥ

• eva: indeed, just
• eva: Sambandha (निपातार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, particle (निपात), emphasis (अवधारण)

• te: they
• te: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, negation particle (निषेध)

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• paśyanti: see
• paśyanti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ (लट्, present), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन)

• pitaram: father
• pitaram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); apposition to mām

• māyayā: by illusion
• māyayā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• mama: my
• mama: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• mohitāḥ: deluded
• mohitāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: muh (धातु)
• Form: Kṛdanta: past passive participle (क्त), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); agrees with te/jīvāḥ

Speaker

Lord Kurma (Vishnu/Ishvara) instructing King Indradyumna in the Ishvara Gita

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Kurma
• Vishnu
• Ishvara
• Maya
• Jiva

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

It states that all jīvas are “manmaya”—pervaded by the Lord—yet they fail to recognize Him as their primal source because Māyā veils direct perception of Īśvara.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse implies the need for sādhana that removes Māyā’s delusion—classically bhakti (devotional absorption), jñāna (discriminative insight), and yogic steadiness (dhyāna) so that the jīva directly ‘sees’ the Father, Īśvara.

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

By speaking in the universal voice of Īśvara who pervades all beings and is obscured by Māyā, the teaching aligns with the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis: the one Supreme Lord (read as Hari or Hara) is the inner source, though unseen by the deluded.