Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 93

Dakṣa-yajña-bhaṅgaḥ — Dadhīci’s Teaching and the Destruction of Dakṣa’s Sacrifice

Devanagari script

ये ऽन्ये शापाग्निनिर्दग्धा दधीचस्य महर्षयः / द्विषन्तो मोहिता देवं संबभूवुः कलिष्वथ

Transliteration

ye 'nye śāpāgninirdagdhā dadhīcasya maharṣayaḥ / dviṣanto mohitā devaṃ saṃbabhūvuḥ kaliṣvatha

Translation

دَدھیچی سے وابستہ وہ دوسرے مہارشی لعنت کی آگ سے جھلس کر فریبِ وہم میں پڑ گئے؛ خداوندِ برتر سے عداوت کرتے ہوئے پھر کَلی یُگ کی خصلت کے حامل بن گئے۔

Word by Word

• ye: who (those who)
• ye: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun (सर्वनाम), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural (बहुवचन)

• anye: others
• anye: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun/Adjective-like (सर्वनाम/विशेषण-प्रयोग), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural (बहुवचन)

• śāpa-agni-nirdagdhāḥ: burnt by the fire of a curse
• śāpa-agni-nirdagdhāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + agni (प्रातिपदिक) + nirdagdha (कृदन्त; नि√दह्)
• Form: Past passive participle (कर्मणि भूतकृदन्त/क्त), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural (बहुवचन); compound: śāpasya agninā nirdagdhāḥ (cursed-fire-burnt)

• dadhīcasya: of Dadhīca
• dadhīcasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dadhīca (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (षष्ठी/6), Singular (एकवचन)

• maharṣayaḥ: great sages
• maharṣayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maharṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural (बहुवचन)

• dviṣantaḥ: hating
• dviṣantaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dviṣ (धातु) → dviṣant (शतृ-कृदन्त)
• Form: Present active participle (वर्तमानकृदन्त/शतृ), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural (बहुवचन)

• mohitāḥ: deluded
• mohitāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mohita (कृदन्त; मुह्/मोह् धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (कर्मणि भूतकृदन्त/क्त), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural (बहुवचन)

• devam: the god (deity)
• devam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)

• saṃbabhūvuḥ: became / came to be
• saṃbabhūvuḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam√bhū (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन); parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• kaliṣu: in the Kali (ages) / in Kali times
• kaliṣu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kali (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Locative (सप्तमी/7), Plural (बहुवचन)

• atha: then / now
• atha: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/वाक्य-सम्बन्धक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात)

Speaker

Narrator-sage (Purāṇic discourse voice, within the Kurma Purana’s dialogue frame)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: raudra

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Characters & Entities

• Dadhīci
• Maharṣis
• Deva (the Lord)
• Kali (Kali-yuga)

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly, it contrasts the Lord’s steady divinity with the mind’s instability: when consciousness is seized by moha (delusion), beings turn to dveṣa (hatred) and fall into Kali-like dispositions—implying that clarity and devotion are required to recognize the ever-present Lord beyond mental distortion.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No technique is named explicitly, but the verse points to the yogic problem of moha (avidyā-driven delusion) and the ethical obstacle of dveṣa. In the Kurma Purana’s broader yoga-dharma framing, the remedy is purification of mind through restraint, right conduct, and devotion (bhakti) so that Kali-born tendencies do not dominate.

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

The verse uses the inclusive term “deva” (the Lord) rather than sectarian naming, aligning with the Kurma Purana’s integrative approach: hatred toward the Supreme (whether understood through Shaiva or Vaishnava language) is portrayed as a Kali-age distortion, while reverence and inner clarity support the text’s Shiva–Vishnu synthesis.