Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 45

Prākṛta Sṛṣṭi and Pralaya: From Pradhāna to Brahmāṇḍa; Trimūrti Samanvaya

Devanagari script

वसन्ति तत्र पुरुषास्तदात्मानो व्यवस्थिताः / ईश्वरा योगधर्माणो ये चान्ये तत्त्वचिन्तकाः

Transliteration

vasanti tatra puruṣāstadātmāno vyavasthitāḥ / īśvarā yogadharmāṇo ye cānye tattvacintakāḥ

Translation

ที่นั่นเหล่าปุรุษะผู้ตั้งมั่นในอาตมันนั้นดำรงอยู่อย่างแน่วแน่ ที่นั่นยังมีผู้เป็นอีศวร ผู้ทรงธรรมแห่งโยคะ และบรรดาผู้ใคร่ครวญตัตตวะอื่น ๆ พำนักอยู่ด้วย.

Word by Word

• vasanti: they dwell
• vasanti: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vas (वस्/धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (Present), Parasmaipada; Prathama-puruṣa (3rd person), Bahuvacana (Plural)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; deśa-adhikaraṇa (locative adverb: ‘there’)

• puruṣāḥ: persons/puruṣas
• puruṣāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puruṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Prathamā (Nom, 1st), Bahuvacana (Plural)

• tad-ātmānaḥ: of that very nature
• tad-ātmānaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Prathamā (Nom, 1st), Bahuvacana; tatpuruṣa: tasya ātmānaḥ (of that nature/essence)

• vyavasthitāḥ: well-established
• vyavasthitāḥ: Karta-anuguṇa (कर्तृअनुगुण/Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-ava-√sthā (स्था/धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: Kta-participle; Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Prathamā (Nom, 1st), Bahuvacana; ‘well-established/settled’

• īśvarāḥ: lords
• īśvarāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject, apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Prathamā (Nom, 1st), Bahuvacana (Plural)

• yoga-dharmāṇaḥ: possessing yogic qualities
• yoga-dharmāṇaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yoga + dharman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Prathamā (Nom, 1st), Bahuvacana; tatpuruṣa: yogasya dharmāḥ yeṣām (having the qualities of yoga)

• ye: who
• ye: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Relative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Prathamā (Nom, 1st), Bahuvacana (Plural)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; samuccaya (conjunction ‘and’)

• anye: others
• anye: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Prathamā (Nom, 1st), Bahuvacana (Plural)

• tattva-cintakāḥ: thinkers on tattva
• tattva-cintakāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject, apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tattva + cintaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Prathamā (Nom, 1st), Bahuvacana; tatpuruṣa: tattvasya cintakāḥ (thinkers on principles)

Speaker

Lord Kurma (Vishnu) speaking to the sages (including Indradyumna context in the Purva-bhaga narration)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Kurma
• Ishvara
• Purusha
• Atman
• Yoga
• Tattva

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

It presents liberated beings as “tad-ātmānaḥ”—those whose identity is established in That Self—indicating realization as stable abidance in the Supreme Atman rather than mere belief.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse points to “yoga-dharma,” the disciplined path of Yoga—ethical restraint, steadiness, and contemplative absorption—culminating in tattva-cintana (inquiry into ultimate reality) characteristic of Kurma Purana’s yogic teaching.

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

By emphasizing Ishvara, Yoga-dharma, and tattva-realization in a single liberated domain, it supports the Purana’s synthetic theology: the Supreme (Ishvara) is approached through yogic discipline and non-dual insight, harmonizing Shaiva yoga idiom with Vaishnava narration.