Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 19

Cosmic Night, Nārāyaṇa as Brahmā, and the Varāha Raising of the Earth

Devanagari script

नमस्त्रिमूर्तये तुभ्यं त्रिधाम्ने दिव्यतेजसे / नमः सिद्धाय पूज्याय गुणत्रयविभाविने

Transliteration

namastrimūrtaye tubhyaṃ tridhāmne divyatejase / namaḥ siddhāya pūjyāya guṇatrayavibhāvine

Translation

Sembah sujud kepada-Mu, Trimūrti (Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Śiva), Penguasa tiga kediaman, bercahaya dengan sinar ilahi. Sembah sujud kepada-Mu, Yang Sempurna (Siddha), yang layak dipuja, yang menzahir melalui tiga guṇa.

Word by Word

• namaḥ: salutation
• namaḥ: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधनार्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• trimūrtaye: to the three-formed (three manifestations)
• trimūrtaye: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri + mūrti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (tisraḥ mūrtayaḥ)

• tubhyam: to you
• tubhyam: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, चतुर्थी, एकवचन

• tridhāmne: to the one with three abodes/realms
• tridhāmne: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri + dhāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (trīṇi dhāmāni)

• divyatejase: to the one of divine splendor
• divyatejase: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: divya + tejas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (divyaṃ tejaḥ)

• namaḥ: salutation
• namaḥ: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधनार्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• siddhāya: to the perfected; accomplished
• siddhāya: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: siddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• pūjyāya: to the worship-worthy
• pūjyāya: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūjya (प्रातिपदिक; from √pūj, gerundive sense)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (worthy of worship)

• guṇatrayavibhāvine: to the one manifesting the three qualities
• guṇatrayavibhāvine: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: guṇa + traya + vibhāvin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (guṇatrayasya vibhāvin = manifesting/possessing the three guṇas)

Speaker

A devotee/sage offering a formal stuti (hymn) within the Purva-bhaga narrative framework

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Trimurti
• Brahma
• Vishnu
• Shiva
• Three gunas (sattva-rajas-tamas)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

It presents the Supreme as one Reality appearing as the Trimūrti and as the regulator behind the three guṇas—implying a single transcendent Lord who pervades and governs all functions of cosmos and mind.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse supports īśvara-smṛti and īśvara-praṇidhāna (devotional contemplation): meditation on the one Lord as the inner controller of sattva, rajas, and tamas, which is foundational to Purāṇic Yoga and later Pāśupata-oriented discipline.

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

By saluting the one Lord as Trimūrti, it frames Śiva and Viṣṇu as unified expressions of the same supreme divinity rather than competing deities—an explicit Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis.