Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 39

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

Devanagari script

करोति कालः सकलं संहरेत् काल एव हि / कालः स्थापयते विश्वं कालाधीनमिदं जगत्

Transliteration

karoti kālaḥ sakalaṃ saṃharet kāla eva hi / kālaḥ sthāpayate viśvaṃ kālādhīnamidaṃ jagat

Translation

కాలుడే సమస్తాన్ని చేస్తాడు, కాలుడే సమస్తాన్ని సంహరిస్తాడు; కాలుడే విశ్వాన్ని స్థాపిస్తాడు—ఈ జగత్తు కాలాధీనము।

Word by Word

• karoti: does, makes
• karoti: Kriyā (क्रिया/verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (Present/लट्), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd person/प्रथमपुरुष), Ekavacana (singular/एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• kālaḥ: Time
• kālaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• sakalam: all, entire
• sakalam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sakala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Dvitīyā vibhakti (Accusative/द्वितीया), Ekavacana; viśeṣaṇa of implied object ‘sarvam’

• saṃharet: would withdraw; withdraws/destroys
• saṃharet: Kriyā (क्रिया/verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: saṃ-√hṛ (धातु)
• Form: Liṅ-lakāra (Optative/विधिलिङ्), Prathama-puruṣa, Ekavacana, Parasmaipada; used in sense of general truth ‘(he) withdraws/destroys’

• kālaḥ: Time
• kālaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• eva: alone, indeed
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avadhāraṇa-nipāta (emphasis)

• hi: for, indeed
• hi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/explanation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Hetu-nipāta (causal/explanatory particle/हेतु)

• kālaḥ: Time
• kālaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• sthāpayate: establishes, sets up
• sthāpayate: Kriyā (क्रिया/verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā (धातु) + ṇic (णिच्) causative
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (Present), Prathama-puruṣa, Ekavacana, Parasmaipada; Causative (णिच्) of √sthā: ‘causes to stand/establishes’

• viśvam: the universe
• viśvam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

• kāla-adhīnam: dependent on time
• kāla-adhīnam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक) + adhīna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: kālasya adhīnam), Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Prathamā/Accusative, Ekavacana; predicate adjective of jagat

• idam: this
• idam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Prathamā, Ekavacana; demonstrative qualifier of jagat

• jagat: world
• jagat: Karta (कर्ता/Subject; of implied ‘asti’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Prathamā, Ekavacana

Speaker

Lord Kurma (Vishnu) teaching within the Ishvara Gita discourse

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Characters & Entities

• Kāla (Time)
• Jagat (World)
• Viśva (Universe)
• Īśvara (implied Lord as controller through Kāla)

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

By presenting Kāla as the universal power that creates, sustains, and dissolves the cosmos, the verse points to a governing Īśvara beyond individual agency; the Atman is to be known as distinct from the time-bound flux of the jagat, even while Īśvara’s order operates through Kāla.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse supports vairāgya and viveka central to Pāśupata-oriented discipline: meditate on the impermanence and time-governed nature of all phenomena, reducing attachment and stabilizing the mind for Īśvara-dhyāna (contemplation of the Lord) taught in the Ishvara Gita context.

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

In the Kurma Purana’s synthetic theology, the single divine sovereignty (Īśvara) manifests governance through Kāla; this aligns with both Shaiva and Vaishnava idioms—Shiva as Mahākāla and Vishnu as cosmic sustainer—indicating one supreme order rather than sectarian separation.