Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 9

Jambūdvīpa Varṣas, Bhārata as Karmabhūmi, and the Sacred Hydro-Topography of Dharma

Devanagari script

तथा च हरिवर्षे तु महारजतसन्निभाः / दशवर्षसहस्त्राणि जीवन्तीक्षुरसाशिनः

Transliteration

tathā ca harivarṣe tu mahārajatasannibhāḥ / daśavarṣasahastrāṇi jīvantīkṣurasāśinaḥ

Translation

اسی طرح ہری ورش میں وہ عظیم چاندی کی مانند درخشاں ہوتے ہیں؛ گنے کے رس کو غذا بنا کر وہ دس ہزار برس تک جیتے ہیں۔

Word by Word

• तथा: thus, in that manner
• तथा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of manner)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक निपात (conjunction)

• हरिवर्षे: in Harivarṣa (a region)
• हरिवर्षे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: harivarṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), सप्तमी विभक्ति (locative, 7th), एकवचन (singular); समास: हरि+वर्ष (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/नामधातु-सम्बन्ध)

• तु: indeed, however
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषार्थक निपात (particle: but/indeed)

• महा-रजत-सन्निभाः: resembling great silver (very silvery)
• महा-रजत-सन्निभाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + rajata (प्रातिपदिक) + sannibha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (nominative, 1st), बहुवचन (plural); समास: महा+रजत (कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष) + सन्निभ (उपमान-तत्पुरुष: ‘like silver’)

• दश-वर्ष-सहस्त्राणि: ten-thousand years (lit. thousands of ten years)
• दश-वर्ष-सहस्त्राणि: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daśa (संख्या) + varṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया विभक्ति (accusative, 2nd), बहुवचन (plural) — कालपरिमाणवाचक; समास: द्विगु (संख्यापूर्वक समास) ‘दशवर्षाणां सहस्राणि’

• जीवन्ति: they live
• जीवन्ति: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jīv (जीव् धातु)
• Form: लट् लकार (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (plural)

• इक्षु-रस-आशिनः: those who subsist on sugarcane-juice
• इक्षु-रस-आशिनः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ikṣu (प्रातिपदिक) + rasa (प्रातिपदिक) + āśin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा विभक्ति (nominative, 1st), बहुवचन (plural); समास: इक्षुरस (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष ‘sugarcane-juice’) + आशिन् (उपपद-तत्पुरुष: ‘one who eats/drinks’)

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) recounting the Purāṇic cosmography to the sages (contextual narration)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Harivarṣa
• Hari

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

This verse is primarily cosmographical, describing the qualities and lifespan of beings in Harivarṣa; it does not directly teach ātman-doctrine, but it implies a dharmic cosmos where different realms reflect different karmic and sattvic conditions.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No explicit yoga practice is stated here; the verse instead emphasizes a purified mode of sustenance and extraordinary longevity, themes that elsewhere in the Kurma Purāṇa support the idea that sāttvika living can aid spiritual discipline (yoga-sādhana).

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

The verse does not directly mention Śiva; it names Harivarṣa as the region of Hari (Viṣṇu), fitting the Purāṇa’s broader sacred geography where divine presences are distributed across realms while later sections synthesize Śaiva–Vaiṣṇava unity.