Shloka 42

Īśvara-Gītā (continued): Twofold Yoga, Aṣṭāṅga Discipline, Pāśupata Meditation, and the Unity of Nārāyaṇa–Maheśvara

Devanagari script

धारणा द्वादशायामा ध्यानं द्वादशधारणाः / ध्यानं द्वादशकं यावत् समाधिरभिधीयते

Transliteration

dhāraṇā dvādaśāyāmā dhyānaṃ dvādaśadhāraṇāḥ / dhyānaṃ dvādaśakaṃ yāvat samādhirabhidhīyate

Translation

Diz-se que a dhāraṇā dura doze yāmas; doze dhāraṇās constituem dhyāna. E quando o dhyāna alcança um conjunto de doze, então é chamado samādhi.

Word by Word

• dhāraṇā: concentration (dhāraṇā)
• dhāraṇā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhāraṇā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nom. 1), एकवचन (sg.)

• dvādaśa-āyāmā: of twelve measures (units)
• dvādaśa-āyāmā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvādaśa (प्रातिपदिक/संख्या) + āyāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nom. 1), एकवचन (sg.); द्विगु-समासः: dvādaśa āyāmā yasya/ yā

• dhyānam: meditation (dhyāna)
• dhyānam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhyāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nom. 1), एकवचन (sg.)

• dvādaśa-dhāraṇāḥ: twelve concentrations
• dvādaśa-dhāraṇāḥ: Karta (कर्ता) / Pratijñā (predicate)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvādaśa (प्रातिपदिक/संख्या) + dhāraṇā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nom. 1), बहुवचन (pl.); द्विगु-समासः: dvādaśa dhāraṇāḥ

• dhyānam: meditation
• dhyānam: Karma (कर्म) (in measure-expression)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhyāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc. 1/2), एकवचन (sg.); पुनरुक्ति (repetition)

• dvādaśakam: a set of twelve
• dvādaśakam: Karma (कर्म) (extent/measure)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvādaśaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc. 1/2), एकवचन (sg.); ‘group of twelve’

• yāvat: up to, as far as
• yāvat: Avadhi (अवधि)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable), परिमाण/अवधि-बोधक (limit/extent marker)

• samādhiḥ: samādhi
• samādhiḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samādhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nom. 1), एकवचन (sg.)

• abhidhīyate: is called/defined
• abhidhīyate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: abhi-√dhā (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन (sg.), आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

Speaker

Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing on Yoga within the Ishvara Gita teaching framework

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Kurma
• Ishvara Gita
• Pashupata Yoga
• Dharana
• Dhyana
• Samadhi

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

By defining the graded intensification from dhāraṇā to dhyāna to samādhi, the verse implies that realization culminates in absorptive steadiness where the mind becomes unified—supporting direct insight into the Self beyond distraction.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

It highlights the classical meditative ladder used in Pāśupata-oriented discipline: measured concentration (dhāraṇā), its sustained flow as meditation (dhyāna), and the intensified culmination as absorption (samādhi), presented in a quantified, practice-oriented way.

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

Though not naming Shiva directly, the Ishvara Gita context in the Kurma Purana frames Yoga as a shared, non-sectarian path: Vishnu (as Kurma) teaches a Shaiva-leaning Pāśupata yogic structure, reflecting the Purana’s Shiva–Vishnu unity in soteriology.