Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 47

Madhu–Kaiṭabha, Nārāyaṇa’s Yoga-Nidrā, Rudra’s Manifestation, and the Aṣṭamūrti–Trimūrti Teaching

Devanagari script

नमो वेदरहस्याय कालकालाय ते नमः / वेदान्तसारसाराय नमो वेदात्ममूर्तये

Transliteration

namo vedarahasyāya kālakālāya te namaḥ / vedāntasārasārāya namo vedātmamūrtaye

Translation

वेदरहस्यस्वरूप तुला नमः; काळालाही अतिक्रमण करणाऱ्या काळा तुला नमः। वेदान्ताच्या साराचा सार, वेदात्ममूर्ती तुला नमः।

Word by Word

• namaḥ: salutation
• namaḥ: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), salutation particle

• veda-rahasyāya: to the Vedic secret
• veda-rahasyāya: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veda (प्रातिपदिक) + rahasya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग; rahasya), Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular (एकवचन); tatpuruṣa: 'secret of the Veda(s)' (वेदस्य रहस्यम्)

• kāla-kālāya: to the destroyer of Time (Time of time)
• kāla-kālāya: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक) + kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular (एकवचन); tatpuruṣa: 'the Time of time / death of death' (कालस्य कालः)

• te: to you
• te: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (सर्वनाम), Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular (एकवचन)

• namaḥ: salutation
• namaḥ: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), salutation particle

• vedānta-sāra-sārāya: to the essence of Vedānta’s essence
• vedānta-sāra-sārāya: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vedānta (प्रातिपदिक) + sāra (प्रातिपदिक) + sāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Dative (4th/चतुर्थī), Singular (एकवचन); nested tatpuruṣa: 'essence of the essence of Vedānta' (वेदान्तस्य सारस्य सारः)

• namaḥ: salutation
• namaḥ: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), salutation particle

• veda-ātma-mūrtaye: to the embodiment of the Veda
• veda-ātma-mūrtaye: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veda (प्रातिपदिक) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक) + mūrti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग; mūrti), Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular (एकवचन); tatpuruṣa: 'form whose self is Veda / embodiment of Veda' (वेदः आत्मा यस्याः सा)

Speaker

A devotee/sage offering stuti within the Purva-bhaga narrative (a hymn addressed to the Supreme Lord identified with the Veda and with Mahākāla).

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Veda
• Vedānta
• Kāla (Time)
• Mahākāla (Time beyond time)
• Veda-Ātman (Veda-Self)

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

It identifies the Supreme as veda-ātma-mūrti—whose very form is the Veda’s inner Self—implying the Lord is the illuminating consciousness that the Vedas and Vedānta ultimately point to.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

While not prescribing a technique directly, the verse supports a contemplative Yoga approach: meditate on Īśvara as the inner meaning of śruti (veda-rahasya) and as Mahākāla, cultivating detachment and one-pointed devotion central to Purāṇic Pāśupata-oriented spirituality.

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

By praising the Supreme as Mahākāla (a strongly Śaiva epithet) and simultaneously as the Veda-Self (often applied to Nārāyaṇa), it reflects the Kurma Purana’s synthetic, non-sectarian vision where the one Īśvara is honored through both Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava theological language.