Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 54

Tīrtha-māhātmya and Rudra’s Samanvaya Teaching

Maṅkaṇaka Episode

Devanagari script

सो ऽन्वपश्यदशेषस्य पार्श्वे तस्य त्रिशूलिनः / विशाललोचनमेकां देवीं चारुविलासिनीम् / सूर्यायुतसमप्रख्यां प्रसन्नवदनां शिवाम्

Transliteration

so 'nvapaśyadaśeṣasya pārśve tasya triśūlinaḥ / viśālalocanamekāṃ devīṃ cāruvilāsinīm / sūryāyutasamaprakhyāṃ prasannavadanāṃ śivām

Translation

Kemudian Baginda melihat, di sisi Tuhan Pemegang Trisula—yang merangkumi segala—seorang Dewi tunggal, bermata luas dan anggun dalam gerak laku; bersinar laksana sepuluh ribu matahari, berwajah tenang, Śivā yang membawa keberkatan dan belas kasih.

Word by Word

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• anvapaśyat: saw / beheld
• anvapaśyat: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: anu√paś (धातु)
• Form: Laṅ-lakāra (लङ्, imperfect/past), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• aśeṣasya: of the entire (one) / of all
• aśeṣasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/genitive)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aśeṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī (genitive/6th), Ekavacana; used substantively or as qualifier

• pārśve: at the side
• pārśve: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārśva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsakaliṅga, Saptamī vibhakti (locative/7th), Ekavacana

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī, Ekavacana

• triśūlinaḥ: of the trident-bearer
• triśūlinaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: triśūlin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa: triśūlaṃ asya asti (one who has a trident)

• viśālalocanām: wide-eyed
• viśālalocanām: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण of devīm)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viśāla + locana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (fem), Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; bahuvrīhi: yasyāḥ locane viśāle (wide-eyed)

• ekām: one (single)
• ekām: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण of devīm)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

• devīm: goddess
• devīm: Karma (कर्म/object of anvapaśyat)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya-avya ya (समुच्चय), conjunction

• cāruvilāsinīm: gracefully playful / charmingly sportive
• cāruvilāsinīm: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण of devīm)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: cāru + vilāsinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; karmadhāraya: cāru eva vilāsinī

• sūryāyutasamaprakhyām: radiant like ten-thousand suns
• sūryāyutasamaprakhyām: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण of devīm)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sūrya + ayuta + sama + prakhyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa: sūryāyutena samaḥ prakhyā (splendour) yasyāḥ

• prasannavadanām: with a serene face
• prasannavadanām: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण of devīm)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prasanna + vadana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; bahuvrīhi: yasyāḥ vadanaṃ prasannam

• śivām: Śivā (Pārvatī)
• śivām: Karma (कर्म; apposition to devīm)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śivā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; proper name/epithet

Speaker

Narrator (Purana narrator describing the vision of Shiva and the Goddess)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shringara

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Shiva (Triśūlin)
• Shivā/Devī (the Goddess at Shiva’s side)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

By calling the Trident-bearing Lord “aśeṣa” (the limitless/all-encompassing), the verse frames the divine as boundless reality—an Ishvara-form through which the seeker apprehends the all-pervading principle.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse supports dhyāna (contemplative visualization): focusing on the deity’s form (Śiva) together with the auspicious Śivā/Devī, marked by serenity and overwhelming radiance—an aid to one-pointedness (ekāgratā) in Pāśupata-oriented devotion.

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

Though explicitly describing Śiva and the Goddess, it fits the Kurma Purana’s synthesis by presenting the divine as “all” (aśeṣa), allowing the same supreme reality to be revered through Śaiva imagery without contradicting Vaiṣṇava theology.