Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 16

Invocation, Purāṇa Lakṣaṇas, Kurma at the Samudra-manthana, and Indradyumna’s Liberation Teaching

Iśvara-Gītā Prelude

Devanagari script

अन्यान्युपराणानि मुनिभिः कथितानि तु / अष्टादशपुराणानि श्रुत्वा संक्षेपतो द्विजाः

Transliteration

anyānyuparāṇāni munibhiḥ kathitāni tu / aṣṭādaśapurāṇāni śrutvā saṃkṣepato dvijāḥ

Translation

மற்ற உபபுராணங்களும் முனிவர்களால் உரைக்கப்பட்டன. ஹே த்விஜர்களே, பதினெட்டு மகாபுராணங்களைச் சுருக்கமாகக் கேட்டபின், இங்கு போதிக்கப்படவுள்ள தாத்பரியத்தை அறிய விரும்புகிறீர்கள்.

Word by Word

• anyāni: Other
• anyāni: Visheshana (Adjective to uparāṇāni)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural

• uparāṇāni: Sub-Puranas (Upa-puranas)
• uparāṇāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: upapurāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural

• munibhiḥ: By the sages
• munibhiḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural

• kathitāni: Told / Narrated
• kathitāni: Visheshana (Adjective to uparāṇāni)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kath (धातु) + kta
• Form: Past Passive Participle, Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• tu: But / Indeed
• tu: null
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction/Particle

• aṣṭādaśapurāṇāni: Eighteen Puranas
• aṣṭādaśapurāṇāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṣṭādaśapurāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural

• śrutvā: Having heard
• śrutvā: Purvakala-kriya (Preceding action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śru (धातु) + ktvā
• Form: Gerund (Absolutive)

• saṃkṣepataḥ: Briefly
• saṃkṣepataḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saṃkṣepa (प्रातिपदिक) + tasil
• Form: Adverbial suffix (tasil)

• dvijāḥ: O Twice-borns (Brahmins)
• dvijāḥ: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (Sambodhana), Plural

Speaker

Sūta (traditional Purāṇic narrator) addressing the assembled dvijas (sages/Brāhmaṇas)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Upapurana
• Ashtadasha Puranas
• Munis
• Dvijas

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

This verse does not directly define Ātman; it frames the scriptural setting—after hearing the Purāṇic corpus in brief, seekers are prepared to receive the deeper purport that later culminates in teachings aligned with Īśvara-centered realization.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No specific Yoga practice is stated here; the implied discipline is śravaṇa (reverent hearing) of Purāṇic teaching, which in the Kurma Purana becomes the foundation for later instructions on devotion, dharma, and Pāśupata-oriented contemplation.

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

It does not mention Śiva or Viṣṇu explicitly; it establishes the Purāṇic framework in which the Kurma Purana later presents a Śaiva–Vaiṣṇava synthesis through Īśvara-centered teachings and shared dharmic authority.