Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 31

Rudrakoṭi, Madhuvana, Puṣpanagarī, and Kālañjara — Śveta’s Bhakti and the Subjugation of Kāla

Devanagari script

नमो ऽस्तु ते गणेश्वर प्रपन्नदुः खनाशन / अनादिनित्यभूतये वराहशृङ्गधारिणे

Transliteration

namo 'stu te gaṇeśvara prapannaduḥ khanāśana / anādinityabhūtaye varāhaśṛṅgadhāriṇe

Translation

Sembah sujud kepada-Mu, wahai Penguasa para Gaṇa, pemusnah dukacita mereka yang berlindung. Sembah sujud kepada-Mu, yang wujud-Nya tanpa awal dan kekal abadi, yang memegang tanduk Varāha (babi hutan) sebagai lambang.

Word by Word

• namaḥ: salutation; homage
• namaḥ: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), interjection/particle of salutation (नमस्कारार्थक-निपात)

• astu: let it be
• astu: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: Loṭ-lakāra (लोट्, imperative/benedictive), Prathama-puruṣa (प्रथम), Eka-vacana (एकवचन); parasmaipada

• te: to you
• te: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (सर्वनाम), Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Eka-vacana (एकवचन)

• gaṇa-īśvara: O lord of the hosts
• gaṇa-īśvara: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: gaṇānām īśvaraḥ), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Eka-vacana (एकवचन)

• prapanna-duḥkha-nāśana: O destroyer of the sorrows of the surrendered
• prapanna-duḥkha-nāśana: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prapanna (कृदन्त; √pad/√prapad, past participle) + duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक) + nāśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: prapannānāṃ duḥkhasya nāśanaḥ), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Eka-vacana (एकवचन)

• anādi-nitya-bhūtaye: to the beginningless, eternal glory/being
• anādi-nitya-bhūtaye: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anādi (प्रातिपदिक) + nitya (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Karmadhāraya (विशेषण-विशेष्य: anādi ca nityā ca bhūtiḥ), Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Eka-vacana (एकवचन)

• varāha-śṛṅga-dhāriṇe: to the bearer of a boar’s tusk/horn
• varāha-śṛṅga-dhāriṇe: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varāha (प्रातिपदिक) + śṛṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + dhārin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: varāhasya śṛṅgaṃ dhārayati iti), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Eka-vacana (एकवचन)

Speaker

A Purāṇic narrator/ṛṣi reciting a devotional salutation (stuti) within the Kurma Purana’s Purva-bhaga context

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Gaṇeśvara (Gaṇeśa)
• Varāha (Boar-emblem)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

By calling the deity “beginningless and eternal in being” (anādi-nitya-bhūti), the verse points to a timeless, unoriginated reality—an Atman/Iśvara principle not limited by birth or decay.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse emphasizes śaraṇāgati (surrender) as a foundational discipline: taking refuge in Iśvara removes duḥkha and clears obstacles, preparing the mind for steadiness (dhyāna) and higher yogic practice taught elsewhere in the Kurma Purana (including Pāśupata-oriented themes).

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

By praising Gaṇeśa (a Śaiva deity) while invoking a Varāha emblem (a strongly Vaiṣṇava sign), the verse reflects the Kurma Purana’s integrative approach—devotion across forms while affirming a shared, transcendent divine ground.