Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 10

Īśvara-gītā: Antaryāmin, Kāla, and the Divine Ordinance Governing Creation, Preservation, and Pralaya

Devanagari script

यो हि सर्वजगत्साक्षी कालचक्रप्रवर्तकः / हिरण्यगर्भो मार्तण्डः सो ऽपि मद्देहसंभवः

Transliteration

yo hi sarvajagatsākṣī kālacakrapravartakaḥ / hiraṇyagarbho mārtaṇḍaḥ so 'pi maddehasaṃbhavaḥ

Translation

Siya na saksi ng buong daigdig at tagapagpaikot ng gulong ng Panahon—si Hiraṇyagarbha, at maging si Mārtaṇḍa na Araw—maging siya man ay sumibol mula sa aking sariling katawan.

Word by Word

• यः: who
• यः: कर्ता (Kartā/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Nom. sg.)

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: निपात (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle) हेतौ/निश्चये (for/indeed)

• सर्व-जगत्-साक्षी: witness of all the worlds
• सर्व-जगत्-साक्षी: सम्बन्ध/विशेषण (Predicate nominative of यः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + जगत् (प्रातिपदिक) + साक्षिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास: “सर्वजगतः साक्षी” (witness of all the world); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Nom. sg.)

• काल-चक्र-प्रवर्तकः: initiator of the wheel of time
• काल-चक्र-प्रवर्तकः: सम्बन्ध/विशेषण (Predicate nominative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक) + चक्र (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रवर्तक (प्रातिपदिक; √वृत् with प्र-)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास: “कालचक्रस्य प्रवर्तकः” (one who sets the wheel of time in motion); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• हिरण्यगर्भः: Hiraṇyagarbha
• हिरण्यगर्भः: सम्बन्ध/विशेषण (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हिरण्य + गर्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (कर्मधारय-प्राय): “हिरण्यः गर्भः यस्य/हिरण्यगर्भः”; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• मार्तण्डः: Mārtaṇḍa (Sun)
• मार्तण्डः: सम्बन्ध/विशेषण (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्तण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: कर्ता (Kartā/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: निपात (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle) समुच्चये/अपि-भावे (also/even)

• मत्-देह-सम्भवः: born from my body
• मत्-देह-सम्भवः: विशेषण (Predicate adjective of सः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मत् (अस्मद्-षष्ठी-एकवचनार्थक, प्रातिपदिक-रूप) + देह (प्रातिपदिक) + सम्भव (प्रातिपदिक; सम्+√भू)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास: “मम देहात् सम्भवः” (born from my body); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Lord Kurma (Vishnu/Narayana) speaking in a Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis frame

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: vira

Characters & Entities

• Hiranyagarbha
• Martanda
• Kala (Time)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

It presents the Supreme as sarvajagat-sākṣī, the universal Witness, from whom even cosmic functions like creation (Hiraṇyagarbha) and illumination/time-order (Mārtaṇḍa) proceed—implying a transcendent Self that is both immanent and causative.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse supports sākṣī-bhāva (witness-consciousness) as a contemplative stance: meditation that rests in observing Time, mind, and world as movements within the Lord’s power, aligning with Purāṇic Yoga and later Ishvara-centered disciplines emphasized in the Kurma tradition.

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

By asserting a single supreme source behind cosmic offices (creator and sun/time), the verse aligns with the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis where ultimate reality is one, expressed through multiple divine forms honored in both Shaiva and Vaishnava registers.