Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 8

Devī-tattva, Śakti–Śaktimān doctrine, Kāla–Māyā cosmology, and Māheśvara Yoga instruction

Devanagari script

विभज्य पुररीशानी स्वात्मानं शङ्कराद् विभोः / महादेवनियोगेन पितामहमुपस्थिता

Transliteration

vibhajya purarīśānī svātmānaṃ śaṅkarād vibhoḥ / mahādevaniyogena pitāmahamupasthitā

Translation

ပုရရီဣရှာနီသည် အလုံးစုံပျံ့နှံ့သော သင်္ကရ—အရှင်ကြီးထံမှ မိမိ၏ အနှစ်သာရကို ခွဲထုတ်၍ မဟာဒေဝ၏ အမိန့်တော်အရ ပိတာမဟ (ဗြဟ္မာ) ထံသို့ ချဉ်းကပ်တော်မူ၏။

Word by Word

• विभज्य: having divided
• विभज्य: पूर्वकालक्रिया (Absolutive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भज् (धातु) with उपसर्ग वि-
• Form: क्त्वान्त (अव्ययभाव) gerund; ‘having divided’

• पुररीशानी: Purarīśānī (Śiva’s consort)
• पुररीशानी: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुररि (प्रातिपदिक) + ईशानी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘(of) Purāri (Śiva) + Īśānī’ = ‘Śiva’s consort’

• स्वात्मानम्: her own self
• स्वात्मानम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; कर्मधारय: ‘own self’

• शङ्करात्: from Śaṅkara
• शङ्करात्: अपादान (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (अपादान), एकवचन; ablative singular

• विभोः: of the mighty one
• विभोः: सम्बन्ध (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; genitive singular; epithet of Śaṅkara

• महादेव-नियोगेन: by Mahādeva’s command
• महादेव-नियोगेन: करण (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेव (प्रातिपदिक) + नियोग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘by the command/commission of Mahādeva’

• पितामहम्: Pitāmaha (Brahmā)
• पितामहम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; accusative singular

• उपस्थिता: approached, stood near
• उपस्थिता: क्रिया (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उपस्था (धातु: स्था with उपसर्ग उप-)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; past participle used predicatively

Speaker

Lord Kurma (Vishnu) narrating within the Ishvara Gita framework

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Purarīśānī (Śakti)
• Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• Mahādeva
• Pitāmaha (Brahmā)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

It implies Śakti can manifest a distinct functional aspect (“dividing her own essence”) while remaining rooted in the all-pervading Lord, suggesting unity-in-manifestation rather than absolute separation.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No direct technique is taught in this line; it supports Ishvara Gita’s yogic worldview where inner realization aligns with cosmic order—Śakti acts by divine niyoga (command), mirroring disciplined obedience (niyama) to Īśvara in Pashupata-oriented devotion.

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

By presenting Śaṅkara as “vibhu” and showing Śakti operating through Mahādeva’s commission within the Ishvara Gita narration, it reinforces the Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis: supreme divinity functions through shared principles across Śiva-Viṣṇu theologies.