Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 37

Virocana–Bali, Aditi’s Tapas, and the Vāmana–Trivikrama Episode

Devanagari script

यस्य सा जगतां माता शक्तिस्तद्धर्मधारिणी / माया भगवती लक्ष्मीः सो ऽवतीर्णो जनार्दनः

Transliteration

yasya sā jagatāṃ mātā śaktistaddharmadhāriṇī / māyā bhagavatī lakṣmīḥ so 'vatīrṇo janārdanaḥ

Translation

య whose శక్తియే జగన్మాత, ఆయన ధర్మాన్ని ధారించేది; ఆ భగవతి మాయా లక్ష్మీ—ఆ జనార్దనుడే అవతరించాడు।

Word by Word

• yasya: of whom/whose
• yasya: Sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• jagatām: of the worlds/of beings
• jagatām: Sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural (बहुवचन)

• mātā: mother
• mātā: Karta (कर्ता; predicate noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• śaktiḥ: power
• śaktiḥ: Karta (कर्ता; apposition to sā)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• tad-dharma-dhāriṇī: bearing his qualities
• tad-dharma-dhāriṇī: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण of śaktiḥ/sā)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad + dharma + dhārin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'bearing his attributes/dharma'

• māyā: māyā
• māyā: Karta (कर्ता; apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• bhagavatī: divine/holy
• bhagavatī: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण of lakṣmīḥ/māyā)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• lakṣmīḥ: Lakṣmī
• lakṣmīḥ: Karta (कर्ता; apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lakṣmī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• avatīrṇaḥ: descended/incarnated
• avatīrṇaḥ: Karta (कर्ता; predicate adjective)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava-tṝ (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त/कृदन्त), Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• janārdanaḥ: Janārdana
• janārdanaḥ: Karta (कर्ता; apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: janārdana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator describing the avatāra theology within the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shringara

Characters & Entities

• Janardana
• Lakshmi
• Maya
• Shakti

More Details (5 sections)

FAQs

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

It presents the Supreme (Janārdana) as transcendent yet capable of manifesting through His own Śakti—Lakṣmī as Māyā—showing how the One Lord relates to the world without diminishing His sovereignty.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No specific technique is listed, but the verse supports a contemplative framework used in Kurma Purana spirituality: meditation on Īśvara together with His Śakti (Māyā) as the power that sustains dharma and the cosmos—useful for īśvara-dhyāna and devotion grounded in metaphysics.

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

By emphasizing Śakti, Māyā, and dharma as universal principles rather than sectarian boundaries, it aligns with the Kurma Purana’s integrative approach where ultimate divinity can be understood through shared metaphysical categories honored in both Śaiva (Śakti, dharma) and Vaiṣṇava (Janārdana, avatāra) theology.