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Shloka 2

Iśvara on Māyā, the Unmanifest, and the Viśvarūpa of the One Supreme

ईश्वर उवाच नाहं विश्वो न विश्वं च मामृते विद्यते द्विजाः / मायानिमित्तमत्रास्ति सा चात्मानमपाश्रिता

īśvara uvāca nāhaṃ viśvo na viśvaṃ ca māmṛte vidyate dvijāḥ / māyānimittamatrāsti sā cātmānamapāśritā

ईश्वर म्हणाले— मी विश्व नाही, आणि माझ्यावाचून स्वतंत्र असे विश्वही नाही. हे द्विजांनो, माझ्याशिवाय काहीच नाही. येथे निमित्तकारण माया आहे, आणि ती माया आत्म्यावर आश्रित आहे.

īśvaraḥthe Lord
īśvaraḥ:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootīśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative/प्रथमा (1), Singular/एकवचन
uvācasaid
uvāca:
Kriya (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootvac (धातु)
FormPerfect/लिट् (लिट्-लकार), 3rd Person/प्रथमपुरुष, Singular/एकवचन, Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)
nanot
na:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निषेध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootna (अव्यय)
FormNegation particle (निषेध-अव्यय)
ahamI
aham:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootasmad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
FormPronoun (सर्वनाम), 1st Person, Nominative/प्रथमा (1), Singular/एकवचन
viśvaḥthe universe (as a whole)
viśvaḥ:
Pratijñā/Predicate (विशेष्य-सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootviśva (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative/प्रथमा (1), Singular/एकवचन
nanor/not
na:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निषेध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootna (अव्यय)
FormNegation particle (निषेध-अव्यय)
viśvamthe world
viśvam:
Pratijñā/Predicate (विशेष्य-सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootviśva (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNeuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/प्रथमा (1) or Accusative/द्वितीया (2), Singular/एकवचन (here: Nominative as predicate)
caand
ca:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootca (अव्यय)
FormConjunction (समुच्चय-अव्यय)
māmme
mām:
Apādāna with mṛte (अपादान)
TypeNoun
Rootasmad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
FormPronoun (सर्वनाम), 1st Person, Accusative/द्वितीया (2), Singular/एकवचन
ṛtewithout
ṛte:
Apādāna-nimitta (अपादान-निमित्त)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootṛte (अव्यय)
FormPrepositional indeclinable meaning 'without/except' (उपपद-अव्यय); governs Ablative sense
vidyateexists
vidyate:
Kriya (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootvid (धातु)
FormPresent/लट् (लट्-लकार), 3rd Person/प्रथमपुरुष, Singular/एकवचन, Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद)
dvijāḥO twice-born (brahmins)
dvijāḥ:
Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
TypeNoun
Rootdvija (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative/सम्बोधन (8), Plural/बहुवचन
māyā-nimittamthe cause arising from māyā
māyā-nimittam:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootmāyā (प्रातिपदिक) + nimitta (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNeuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/प्रथमा (1), Singular/एकवचन; Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) genitive relation: 'māyāyāḥ nimittam'
atrahere
atra:
Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootatra (अव्यय)
FormAdverb of place (देशवाचक-अव्यय)
astiis/exists
asti:
Kriya (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootas (धातु)
FormPresent/लट् (लट्-लकार), 3rd Person/प्रथमपुरुष, Singular/एकवचन, Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)
she/that (māyā)
:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Roottad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
FormPronoun (सर्वनाम), Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative/प्रथमा (1), Singular/एकवचन
caand
ca:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootca (अव्यय)
FormConjunction (समुच्चय-अव्यय)
ātmānamthe Self
ātmānam:
Karma (कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootātman (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative/द्वितीया (2), Singular/एकवचन; reflexive sense
apāśritāhaving taken refuge in / dependent on
apāśritā:
Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootapa-ā-śri (धातु) + kta (क्त)
FormPast passive participle (कृत्-प्रत्यय: क्त), Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative/प्रथमा (1), Singular/एकवचन; agrees with 'sā'

Īśvara (Lord Kurma/Vishnu as the Supreme Teacher in the Ishvara Gita)

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

I
Ishvara
M
Maya
A
Atman
D
Dvijas

FAQs

It asserts that nothing exists independently of Īśvara; the Self is the underlying reality on which Māyā depends, indicating a non-dual ground where the apparent world has no separate, self-sustaining existence.

The verse supplies the metaphysical basis for Yoga: meditation should be directed to the Self/Ishvara as the sole reality, treating worldly appearances as Māyā-dependent—supporting inward absorption (dhyāna) and discriminative insight (viveka) central to the Ishvara Gita’s Pāśupata-oriented discipline.

By presenting Īśvara as the one reality beyond the world and as the support of Māyā, it aligns with the Kurma Purana’s non-dual, synthesizing stance in which the supreme Lord transcends sectarian difference—harmonizing Shaiva and Vaishnava theologies at the level of Brahman/Ishvara.