Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 11

The True Liṅga as Formless Brahman — Self-Luminous Īśa and the Yoga of Liberation

Devanagari script

एषा विमुक्तिः परमा मम सायुज्यमुत्तमम् / निर्वाणं ब्रह्मणा चैक्यं कैवल्यं कवयो विदुः

Transliteration

eṣā vimuktiḥ paramā mama sāyujyamuttamam / nirvāṇaṃ brahmaṇā caikyaṃ kaivalyaṃ kavayo viduḥ

Translation

ဤသည်ပင် အမြင့်ဆုံးသော လွတ်မြောက်ခြင်းဖြစ်သည်—ငါနှင့် အထက်မြတ်ဆုံးသော စာယုဇ္ယ (ပေါင်းစည်းခြင်း)၊ နိဗ္ဗာန်၊ ဗြဟ္မန်နှင့် တစ်လုံးတည်းဖြစ်ခြင်း၊ ကైవလျဟု ပညာရှိတို့ သိမြင်ကြသည်။

Word by Word

• एषा: this
• एषा: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st/Nominative) एकवचनम्; निर्देश-सर्वनाम (demonstrative)

• विमुक्तिः: liberation
• विमुक्तिः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विमुक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st/Nominative) एकवचनम्

• परमा: supreme
• परमा: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st/Nominative) एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (विमुक्तिः)

• मम: of me/my
• मम: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive) एकवचनम्; सम्बन्ध (possessive)

• सायुज्यम्: union (with)
• सायुज्यम्: Samanaadhikarana (समानाधिकरण/Predicate nominative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सायुज्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम्; अपादान/फलार्थे (state/result)

• उत्तमम्: highest
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (सायुज्यम्)

• निर्वाणम्: nirvana/extinction
• निर्वाणम्: Samanaadhikarana (समानाधिकरण/Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निर्वाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम्; समानाधिकरण (apposition)

• ब्रह्मणा: with Brahman
• ब्रह्मणा: Sahakaraka/Karana (सह/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental) एकवचनम्; सह/साधनार्थ (with/by Brahman)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction)

• ऐक्यम्: oneness
• ऐक्यम्: Samanaadhikarana (समानाधिकरण/Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऐक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम्; समानाधिकरण (apposition)

• कैवल्यम्: absolute isolation/liberation
• कैवल्यम्: Samanaadhikarana (समानाधिकरण/Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कैवल्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम्; समानाधिकरण (apposition)

• कवयः: sages/poets
• कवयः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कवि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st/Nominative) बहुवचनम्

• विदुः: know/declare
• विदुः: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √विद् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect) परस्मैपदम्; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd) बहुवचनम्

Speaker

Lord Kurma (Vishnu) teaching in the Ishvara Gita context

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Lord Kurma
• Brahman
• Nirvana
• Kaivalya

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

It defines the highest release as aikya (identity) with Brahman and sāyujya with the Lord, indicating that final freedom is realized as non-dual unity rather than mere heavenly enjoyment.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse summarizes the goal of Kurma Purana’s Ishvara Gita-oriented discipline: Yoga that culminates in nirvāṇa (cessation of bondage) and kaivalya (independent Self-abidance), typically reached through devotion to Ishvara combined with knowledge and inner absorption.

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

By presenting liberation as union with the Supreme that is simultaneously “Brahman-identity,” it supports the Purana’s synthesis: the ultimate Ishvara transcends sectarian labels, harmonizing Shaiva and Vaishnava theological language in a non-dual endpoint.