Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 65

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

Iśvara-Gītā Prelude

Devanagari script

सो ऽपि नारायणं द्रष्टुं परमेण समाधिना / आराधयद्धृषीकेशं प्रणतार्तिप्रभञ्जनम्

Transliteration

so 'pi nārāyaṇaṃ draṣṭuṃ parameṇa samādhinā / ārādhayaddhṛṣīkeśaṃ praṇatārtiprabhañjanam

Translation

เขาเองปรารถนาจะได้เฝ้าพระนารายณ์ จึงตั้งมั่นในสมาธิอันยิ่ง แล้วบูชาพระหฤษีเกศ ผู้ทรงทำลายความทุกข์ของผู้ก้มกราบผู้มอบตนเป็นที่พึ่ง

Word by Word

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद्)
• Form: Pronoun, Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• api: also / even
• api: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अपि)
• Form: Particle

• nārāyaṇam: Narayana
• nārāyaṇam: Karma (Object of draṣṭum)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārāyaṇa (नारायण)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• draṣṭum: to see
• draṣṭum: Prayojana (Purpose)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dṛś (दृश्)
• Form: Tumun Infinitive

• parameṇa: supreme / intense
• parameṇa: Visheshana (Adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (परम)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• samādhinā: through meditation
• samādhinā: Karana (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samādhi (समाधि)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• ārādhayat: worshipped / propitiated
• ārādhayat: Kriya (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: rādh (राध्) + ā (आ)
• Form: Lang Lakara (Imperfect), Parasmaipada, Prathama Purusha, Singular (Causal form)

• hṛṣīkeśam: Hrishikesha (Krishna/Vishnu)
• hṛṣīkeśam: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hṛṣīkeśa (हृषीकेश)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular (Lord of Senses)

• praṇatārtiprabhañjanam: destroyer of the suffering of those who bow
• praṇatārtiprabhañjanam: Visheshana (Adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: praṇatārtiprabhañjana (प्रणतार्तिप्रभञ्जन)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) recounting the account within the Kurma Purana’s opening narration

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bhakti

Characters & Entities

• Narayana
• Hṛṣīkeśa
• Samādhi

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

By presenting Nārāyaṇa as directly “to be beheld” through supreme samādhi, the verse implies a realizable Supreme Reality—known not merely by discourse but by inner absorption where the mind and senses are mastered under the Lord (Hṛṣīkeśa).

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse foregrounds parama-samādhi (highest contemplative absorption) joined with ārādhana (devotional propitiation). It reflects the Kurma Purana’s integrated sādhanā: disciplined yogic stillness culminating in a grace-filled vision of the Lord, resonant with Pāśupata-style interiorization while remaining explicitly Vaiṣṇava in address.

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

Even while naming Viṣṇu as Nārāyaṇa/Hṛṣīkeśa, the method—supreme samādhi and surrender that removes distress—matches the Purana’s broader Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis: the same liberating Lord is approached through yogic absorption and devotional surrender, a shared soteriology across sectarian forms.