Shloka 32

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

Iśvara-Gītā Prelude

Devanagari script

भगवन् देवदेवेश नारायण जगन्मय / कैषा देवी विशालाक्षी यथावद् ब्रूहि पृच्छताम्

Transliteration

bhagavan devadeveśa nārāyaṇa jaganmaya / kaiṣā devī viśālākṣī yathāvad brūhi pṛcchatām

Translation

Wahai Bhagavan, Tuhan segala dewa, Nārāyaṇa yang meresapi seluruh jagat—siapakah Dewi bermata luas ini? Mohon jelaskan dengan tepat, kerana kami bertanya untuk mengetahui.

Word by Word

• bhagavan: O Blessed Lord
• bhagavan: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन)

• deva-deva-īśa: O Lord of the gods
• deva-deva-īśa: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva + deva + īśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन)

• nārāyaṇa: O Nārāyaṇa
• nārāyaṇa: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन)

• jagan-maya: O one pervading/consisting of the universe
• jagan-maya: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jagat + maya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन); adjective used as epithet

• kā: who?/what? (which)
• kā: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (किम् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); interrogative pronoun

• eṣā: this
• eṣā: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (एतद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); demonstrative pronoun

• devī: goddess
• devī: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• viśāla-akṣī: large-eyed
• viśāla-akṣī: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viśāla + akṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); bahuvrīhi ‘she whose eyes are large’ qualifying ‘devī’

• yathāvat: properly, as it is
• yathāvat: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• brūhi: tell (us)
• brūhi: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verbal action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: brū (ब्रू धातु)
• Form: Imperative (लोट्), 2nd person (मध्यमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• pṛcchatām: of (us) asking
• pṛcchatām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prach (प्रच्छ् धातु)
• Form: Present participle used as genitive plural (शतृ-प्रत्यय कृदन्तस्य षष्ठी-बहुवचन), Parasmaipada; ‘of those who ask’

Speaker

The inquiring sages (addressing Lord Narayana/Kurma as Devadevesha)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Narayana
• Devi
• Vishalakshi

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

By addressing Narayana as “jaganmaya” (pervading/constituting the cosmos), the verse presents the Supreme as immanent in all beings—an Upanishadic-style basis for understanding the Self as grounded in the all-pervading Lord.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No specific technique is taught in this line; it establishes the yogic method of śraddhā and praśna (reverent inquiry). In the Kurma Purana’s broader teaching style, correct questioning precedes instruction on discipline, devotion, and later Pāśupata-oriented practices.

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

The verse directly praises Narayana as supreme while inquiring into Devī-tattva, a common Purāṇic strategy that supports synthesis: the one Supreme is approached through multiple divine forms (Vishnu, Shiva, and the Goddess) without denying their shared transcendence.