Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 66

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

Iśvara-Gītā Prelude

Devanagari script

ततो बहुतिथे काले गते नारायणः स्वयम् / प्रादुरासीन्महायोगी पीतवासा जगन्मयः

Transliteration

tato bahutithe kāle gate nārāyaṇaḥ svayam / prādurāsīnmahāyogī pītavāsā jaganmayaḥ

Translation

मग बराच काळ लोटल्यानंतर स्वयं नारायण प्रकट झाले—महायोगी, पीतवस्त्रधारी, जगन्मय व सर्वत्र व्यापलेले।

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb (क्रियाविशेषण) of sequence/time

• bahu-tithe: after many days (lit. in a time of many lunar days)
• bahu-tithe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक) + tithi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; adjective qualifying kāla; tatpuruṣa (बहूनि तिथयः यस्मिन्)

• kāle: in (that) time
• kāle: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular

• gate: having passed, elapsed
• gate: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gam (गम् धातु) → gata (क्त-कृदन्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त/ktá), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; agreeing with kāle; sense: 'when (time) had passed'

• nārāyaṇaḥ: Nārāyaṇa
• nārāyaṇaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• svayam: himself
• svayam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), emphatic/reflexive adverb

• prādurāsīt: appeared, manifested
• prādurāsīt: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prādur-bhū (प्रादुर्भू धातु) / bhū (भू धातु)
• Form: Luṅ (लुङ्, Aorist), Parasmaipada, 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• mahā-yogī: the great yogin
• mahā-yogī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + yogin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; karmadhāraya: 'great (as) a yogin'

• pīta-vāsāḥ: wearing yellow garments
• pīta-vāsāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pīta (पीत, क्त-कृदन्त from pā/पाः ‘to drink’ in sense ‘yellow’) + vāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; bahuvrīhi: 'one whose garment is yellow'

• jagat-mayaḥ: pervading/constituted of the universe
• jagat-mayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक) + maya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; tatpuruṣa: 'consisting of the world'

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) / Purāṇic narrator describing the divine manifestation

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Nārāyaṇa
• Mahāyogī

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

By calling Nārāyaṇa “jaganmayaḥ” (world-pervading/world-constituted), the verse presents the Supreme as immanent in all existence while remaining the conscious source who can “appear” by His own power—an Atman-like reality that is both transcendent and all-pervasive.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse highlights the ideal of the Lord as “mahāyogī,” implying mastery of yogic sovereignty (yoga-aiśvarya): effortless manifestation, cosmic pervasion, and perfect self-control—foundational themes for later Kurma Purana teachings on disciplined Yoga, devotion, and divine grace.

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

Though Vishnu is named, the emphasis on the Lord as “mahāyogī” aligns with the Purāṇa’s Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis, where the supreme reality is expressed through shared yogic and theophanic attributes rather than sectarian separation.