Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 46

Sapta-dvīpa Cosmography and the Vision of Śvetadvīpa–Vaikuṇṭha

Devanagari script

सर्वे चतुर्भुजाकाराः शङ्खचक्रगदाधराः / सुपीतवाससः सर्वे श्रीवत्साङ्कितवक्षसः

Transliteration

sarve caturbhujākārāḥ śaṅkhacakragadādharāḥ / supītavāsasaḥ sarve śrīvatsāṅkitavakṣasaḥ

Translation

وہ سب چہار بازو والے تھے، شنکھ، چکر اور گدا تھامے ہوئے۔ سب روشن زرد پوشاک میں ملبوس تھے اور سب کے سینے پر مبارک شریوتس کا نشان کندہ تھا۔

Word by Word

• sarve: all
• sarve: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• catur-bhuja-ākārāḥ: having the form of four arms
• catur-bhuja-ākārāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur (प्रातिपदिक) + bhuja (प्रातिपदिक) + ākāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); विशेषण to सर्वे

• śaṅkha-cakra-gadā-dharāḥ: bearing conch, discus, and mace
• śaṅkha-cakra-gadā-dharāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śaṅkha (प्रातिपदिक) + cakra (प्रातिपदिक) + gadā (प्रातिपदिक) + dhara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); विशेषण to सर्वे

• su-pīta-vāsasaḥ: wearing fine yellow garments
• su-pīta-vāsasaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + pīta (प्रातिपदिक) + vāsas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); विशेषण to सर्वे

• sarve: all
• sarve: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); पुनरुक्ति for emphasis

• śrīvatsa-aṅkita-vakṣasaḥ: whose chests are marked with the Śrīvatsa sign
• śrīvatsa-aṅkita-vakṣasaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śrīvatsa (प्रातिपदिक) + aṅkita (प्रातिपदिक) + vakṣas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); विशेषण to सर्वे

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator describing the vision; traditionally transmitted via Sūta/Vyāsa lineage)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Nārāyaṇa
• Śrīvatsa
• Śaṅkha
• Sudarśana-cakra
• Gadā

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

By portraying many identical four-armed Nārāyaṇa-like forms, the verse suggests a single supreme reality expressed through manifold appearances—one essence, many manifestations.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse supports dhyāna-yoga through iconographic contemplation (ālambana): meditating on the Lord’s attributes—śaṅkha, cakra, gadā, and Śrīvatsa—to steady the mind and deepen devotion leading toward inner realization.

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

Though explicitly Vaiṣṇava in imagery, the Kurma Purana commonly frames such visions within a broader synthesis: the one Īśvara is approachable through different divine forms, aligning Vaiṣṇava darśana with the Purāṇa’s Shaiva-Vaishnava unity theme.