Shloka 56

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

Devanagari script

ऐश्वर्याष्टदलं श्वेतं परं वैराग्यकर्णिकम् / चिन्तयेत् परमं कोशं कर्णिकायां हिरण्मयम्

Transliteration

aiśvaryāṣṭadalaṃ śvetaṃ paraṃ vairāgyakarṇikam / cintayet paramaṃ kośaṃ karṇikāyāṃ hiraṇmayam

Translation

Следует созерцать высший лотос: его восемь лепестков белы божественным владычеством (айшварья), а сердцевина — высшее бесстрастие (вайрагья); и в этом золотом ядре медитировать на высшую «оболочку» (коша), сокровенное святилище сознания.

Word by Word

• aiśvarya-aṣṭa-dalam: (lotus) with eight petals of sovereignty
• aiśvarya-aṣṭa-dalam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aiśvarya + aṣṭa + dala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः: aiśvarya- (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः) + aṣṭa-dala (द्विगु/तत्पुरुषः) = ‘having eight petals of lordly power’

• śvetam: white
• śvetam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śveta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• param: supreme
• param: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• vairāgya-karṇikam: whose pericarp is dispassion
• vairāgya-karṇikam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vairāgya + karṇikā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (vairāgyasya karṇikā)

• cintayet: one should contemplate
• cintayet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √cint (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधि), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• paramam: supreme
• paramam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (kośam इति पुंलिङ्गे विशेषणम्)

• kośam: sheath/inner chamber
• kośam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kośa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• karṇikāyām: in the pericarp
• karṇikāyām: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karṇikā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• hiraṇmayam: golden
• hiraṇmayam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hiraṇmaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; kośam इति पदस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing King Indradyumna (Ishvara Gita teaching context)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Lord Kurma
• Ishvara Gita
• Paramakosha
• Vairagya
• Aishvarya

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

It presents the Supreme as an inmost, luminous “parama-kośa” accessed inwardly—symbolized by a golden lotus-core—implying the Self is realized through interior contemplation rather than external ritual alone.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

A dhyāna practice of lotus-visualization: meditate on an eight-petalled, pure (white) lotus representing aiśvarya (Ishvara’s majesty), then focus on the central pericarp as vairāgya (detachment), and finally rest attention in the radiant golden core—an inward concentration aligned with Ishvara Gita’s Pashupata-oriented contemplative discipline.

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

By using Pashupata-style yogic symbolism (vairāgya-centered dhyāna) within a Vishnu-as-Kurma discourse, it reflects the Kurma Purana’s synthesis: the same Supreme Lord (Ishvara) is approached through shared Shaiva-Vaishnava yogic contemplations.