Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 16

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

Devanagari script

ततः पुराणपुरुषो जगन्मूर्तिर्जनार्दनः / व्याजहारात्मनः पुत्रं मोहनाशाय पद्मजम्

Transliteration

tataḥ purāṇapuruṣo jaganmūrtirjanārdanaḥ / vyājahārātmanaḥ putraṃ mohanāśāya padmajam

Translation

Kemudian Janārdana—Purusha purba, yang wujudnya adalah alam semesta—berbicara kepada puteranya sendiri, Brahmā yang lahir dari teratai, demi melenyapkan kekeliruan.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय): ‘then/from that’

• purāṇa-puruṣaḥ: the primeval Person
• purāṇa-puruṣaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: purāṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + puruṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Karmadhāraya (कर्मधारय); Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• jagat-mūrtiḥ: whose form is the universe
• jagat-mūrtiḥ: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (कर्तृ-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक) + mūrti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘form of the world’); Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• janārdanaḥ: Janārdana (Viṣṇu)
• janārdanaḥ: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (कर्तृ-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: janārdana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• vyājahāra: spoke/uttered
• vyājahāra: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-ā-√hṛ (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद) of वि-आ-√हृ (to utter/speak forth)

• ātmanaḥ: of himself / his
• ātmanaḥ: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (षष्ठी/6), Singular (एकवचन)

• putram: son
• putram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: putra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)

• moha-nāśāya: for the destruction of delusion
• moha-nāśāya: Sampradāna/Prayojana (सम्प्रदान/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: moha (प्रातिपदिक) + nāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘destruction of delusion’); Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Dative (चतुर्थी/4), Singular (एकवचन)

• padmajam: the lotus-born (Brahmā)
• padmajam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: padma (प्रातिपदिक) + ja (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त from √jan)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (उपपद-तत्पुरुष: ‘born from lotus’); Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narration describing Lord Janārdana/Vishnu speaking to Brahmā)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Janārdana (Vishnu)
• Purāṇa-Puruṣa (Primeval Person)
• Brahmā (Padmaja)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

By calling Janārdana the “Purāṇa-Puruṣa” and “jagan-mūrti,” the verse presents the Supreme as both primordial consciousness and the universe-embodied Lord—immanent in creation yet the guiding source who removes delusion.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

This verse frames the prerequisite for Yoga: moha-nāśa (destruction of delusion). In Kurma Purana’s spiritual arc, right instruction (śāstra-upadeśa) purifies buddhi, enabling steadiness for disciplines later systematized as Pāśupata-oriented restraint, devotion, and contemplative knowledge.

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

While Vishnu (Janārdana) is foregrounded as the cosmic teacher, the Kurma Purana’s broader stance is synthetic: the same supreme reality instructs creation to overcome moha—an aim shared with Shaiva (Pāśupata) soteriology, emphasizing unity of purpose rather than sectarian opposition.