Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 152

Dakṣa’s Progeny, Nṛsiṃha–Varāha Avatāras, and Andhaka’s Defeat

Hari–Hara–Śakti Synthesis

Devanagari script

अहं नारायणो गौरी जगन्माता सनातनी / विभज्य संस्थितो देवः स्वात्मानं बहुधेश्वरः

Transliteration

ahaṃ nārāyaṇo gaurī jaganmātā sanātanī / vibhajya saṃsthito devaḥ svātmānaṃ bahudheśvaraḥ

Translation

నేను నారాయణుడను; నేనే గౌరీ, జగన్మాత సనాతనీ. ఏకైక ఈశ్వరుడు తన స్వాత్మను విభజించి అనేక రూపములుగా స్థితిచెందును।

Word by Word

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun; Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); gender not fixed (त्रिलिङ्ग)

• nārāyaṇaḥ: Nārāyaṇa
• nārāyaṇaḥ: Pradhāna-nāma / Samānādhikaraṇa (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• gaurī: Gaurī
• gaurī: Pradhāna-nāma / Samānādhikaraṇa (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaurī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• jaganmātā: mother of the world
• jaganmātā: Pradhāna-nāma / Samānādhikaraṇa (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक) + mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'jagataḥ mātā'

• sanātanī: eternal
• sanātanī: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sanātanī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); adjective (epithet)

• vibhajya: having divided
• vibhajya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vi-√bhaj (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्), from √भज with उपसर्ग वि-; indeclinable meaning 'having divided/after dividing'

• saṃsthitaḥ: established, situated
• saṃsthitaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṃ-√sthā (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); from √स्था with उपसर्ग सम्-; 'having become/being established'

• devaḥ: the god
• devaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• svātmānam: his own self
• svātmānam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); तत्पुरुष: 'svaḥ ātmā' → 'one’s own self'

• bahudhā: in many ways, manifoldly
• bahudhā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bahudhā (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Indeclinable adverb (क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय)

• īśvaraḥ: the Lord
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Lord Kurma (as the Supreme Lord teaching non-dual theism)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Narayana
• Gauri
• Jagadamba (Jaganmata)
• Ishvara (Supreme Lord)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

It presents the Supreme as one Self (svātman) who remains a single Īśvara while manifesting in many divine identities, implying unity behind apparent plurality.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse supports īśvara-dhyāna: meditation on the one Lord as the inner Self of all forms, a key contemplative basis for Purāṇic yoga and later Pāśupata-oriented devotion and discipline.

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

By identifying the one speaker with Nārāyaṇa and also with Gaurī (Śiva’s śakti), it conveys a non-sectarian, integrative theology where the same Supreme reality appears as Vaiṣṇava and Śaiva-Shākta forms.