Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 36

Virocana–Bali, Aditi’s Tapas, and the Vāmana–Trivikrama Episode

Devanagari script

न यत्र विद्यते नामजात्यादिपरिकल्पना / सत्तामात्रात्मरूपो ऽसौ विष्णुरंशेन जायते

Transliteration

na yatra vidyate nāmajātyādiparikalpanā / sattāmātrātmarūpo 'sau viṣṇuraṃśena jāyate

Translation

جہاں نام، جنس اور اس جیسی ذہنی تراش خراش نہیں ہوتی، وہاں محض وجودِ خالص کی صورتِ خودی رکھنے والا وہ پروردگار وِشنو کے اَمش کے طور پر ظاہر ہوتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Negation particle (निषेध-अव्यय)

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Locative adverb (अधिकरणवाचक-अव्यय)

• vidyate: exists/is found
• vidyate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vid (धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• nāma-jāti-ādi-parikalpanā: conceptualization of name, class, etc.
• nāma-jāti-ādi-parikalpanā: Karta (कर्ता/subject of vidyate)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāman + jāti + ādi + parikalpanā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); समाहार/निर्देशार्थ-तत्पुरुष: (नाम, जाति, आदि) विषयक परिकल्पना

• sattā-mātra-ātma-rūpaḥ: having the form of pure existence alone
• sattā-mātra-ātma-rūpaḥ: Karta (कर्ता; qualifier of asau/viṣṇuḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sattā + mātra + ātman + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); बहुपद-तत्पुरुष: 'whose form is the self consisting of mere existence'

• asau: that (one)
• asau: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adas (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• viṣṇuḥ: Viṣṇu
• viṣṇuḥ: Karta (कर्ता; apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• aṃśena: by a portion
• aṃśena: Karaṇa (करण/means; 'by a portion')
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṃśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• jāyate: is born/comes into manifestation
• jāyate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Sūta (narrating the Purāṇic teaching; doctrinal voice describing manifestation beyond nāma-rūpa)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

It presents the Supreme as sattā-mātra—pure Being—whose Self-nature is prior to all conceptual labels like name and category; realization is linked to the absence of nāma-jāti constructions.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

It implies nirvikalpa-style contemplation: withdrawing from parikalpanā (conceptual fabrication) of nāma-rūpa so awareness rests in pure Being (sattā-mātra), a key meditative orientation echoed in Kurma Purana’s Yoga-shāstra tone.

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

By describing manifestation as “Viṣṇu’s aṃśa” while speaking of the Lord as pure Being beyond names, it supports the Purāṇa’s synthetic stance: sectarian forms are expressions of one non-dual reality, allowing Shiva-Vishnu unity at the level beyond nāma-rūpa.