Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

माहेश्वरं तथा साम्बं सौरं सर्वार्थसंचयम् / पराशरोक्तमपरं मारीचं भार्गवाह्वयम्

Transliteration

māheśvaraṃ tathā sāmbaṃ sauraṃ sarvārthasaṃcayam / parāśaroktamaparaṃ mārīcaṃ bhārgavāhvayam

Translation

اسی طرح ‘ماہیشور’، ‘سامب’، ‘سَور’ اور ‘سروارتھ سنچَی’ (تمام معانی کا مجموعہ)؛ پھر پَراشَر کا کہا ہوا ایک اور متن، ‘ماریچ’ اور ‘بھارگو’ کے نام سے معروف بھی ہے۔

Word by Word

• māheśvaram: Maheshvara Purana
• māheśvaram: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māheśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• tathā: Also / So
• tathā: null
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb

• sāmbam: Samba Purana
• sāmbam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāmba (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• sauram: Saura Purana
• sauram: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• sarvārthasaṃcayam: Collection of all goals/wealth
• sarvārthasaṃcayam: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarvārthasaṃcaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• parāśaroktam: Spoken by Parashara
• parāśaroktam: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parāśarokta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• aparam: Another
• aparam: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: apara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• mārīcam: Maricha Purana
• mārīcam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mārīca (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• bhārgavāhvayam: Named Bhargava
• bhārgavāhvayam: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhārgavāhvaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

Speaker

Sūta (traditional Purāṇic narrator) describing recognized textual/traditional lineages at the opening of the Kurma Purana

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Maheśvara
• Sāmba
• Sūrya (Saura)
• Parāśara
• Marīci
• Bhṛgu (Bhārgava)

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: by cataloguing Māheśvara, Saura, and other lineages, the verse signals the Purāṇic method of approaching one supreme reality through multiple authorized traditions, a hallmark of the Kurma Purana’s integrative (Śaiva–Vaiṣṇava) theology.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No specific practice is taught in this verse; it sets the scriptural map by naming traditions (notably Māheśvara) that later ground teachings such as Pāśupata-oriented discipline and the Kurma Purana’s yoga-inflected instruction (especially in the Upari-bhāga’s Īśvara-gītā section).

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

By placing Māheśvara (Śiva-centered) and Saura (Sūrya-centered) traditions alongside other authoritative streams within a single Purāṇic framework, it reflects the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis where diverse deity-focused teachings are treated as compatible routes within dharma.