Shloka 74

Prākṛta-pralaya, Pratisarga Doctrine, and the Ishvara-Samanvaya of Yoga and Devotion

Devanagari script

कालसंख्याप्रकथनं माहात्म्यं चेश्वरस्य च / ब्रह्मणः शयनं चाप्सु नामनिर्वचनं तथा

Transliteration

kālasaṃkhyāprakathanaṃ māhātmyaṃ ceśvarasya ca / brahmaṇaḥ śayanaṃ cāpsu nāmanirvacanaṃ tathā

Translation

ที่นี่ได้แสดงการนับกาลเวลาแห่งจักรวาล และมหิมาของพระอีศวร; อีกทั้งกล่าวถึงการบรรทมของพระพรหมบนผืนน้ำ และการอธิบายรากความหมายของนามต่าง ๆ ด้วย

Word by Word

• काल-संख्या-प्रकथनम्: the exposition of time-measurements
• काल-संख्या-प्रकथनम्: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक) + संख्या (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रकथन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुष (कालस्य संख्यायाः प्रकथनम्)

• माहात्म्यम्: the greatness (glory)
• माहात्म्यम्: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• ईश्वरस्य: of the Lord
• ईश्वरस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• ब्रह्मणः: of Brahmā
• ब्रह्मणः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• शयनम्: the lying/sleeping
• शयनम्: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शयन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• अप्सु: in the waters
• अप्सु: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अप् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; (अप्-शब्दः pluralia tantum)

• नाम-निर्वचनम्: the etymological explanation of names
• नाम-निर्वचनम्: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक) + निर्वचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुष (नाम्नः निर्वचनम्)

• तथा: likewise/also
• तथा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/समुच्चयार्थक (adverb: likewise/also)

Speaker

Narratorial/sectional rubric (topic-listing) within the Purāṇic discourse (traditional flow: Sūta to the sages, recounting the Kurma Purāṇa teaching-lineage)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara
• Brahmā
• Āpas (cosmic waters)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

It does so indirectly by foregrounding Īśvara’s māhātmya (supreme majesty): the verse frames the Lord as the governing principle behind cosmic time and creation-motifs, implying a transcendent ruler beyond temporal measurement.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No specific practice is prescribed in this line; it functions as a thematic index. However, by pointing to Īśvara’s greatness and cosmic order, it supports the Kurma Purāṇa’s broader contemplative orientation—meditation on the Lord as the ground of time, creation, and sacred meaning.

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

While Śiva and Viṣṇu are not named explicitly, the use of the inclusive title Īśvara and the Purāṇic habit of reading Īśvara as the one Lord across sectarian forms aligns with the Kurma Purāṇa’s synthetic stance: one supreme divinity expressed through Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava idioms.