Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 9

Incarnations of Mahādeva in Kali-yuga (Vaivasvata Manvantara) and the Nakulīśa Horizon

Devanagari script

श्वेतस्तथा परः शूली डिण्डी मुण्डी च वै क्रमात् / सहिष्णुः सोमशर्मा च नकुलीशो ऽन्तिमे प्रभुः

Transliteration

śvetastathā paraḥ śūlī ḍiṇḍī muṇḍī ca vai kramāt / sahiṣṇuḥ somaśarmā ca nakulīśo 'ntime prabhuḥ

Translation

پھر ترتیب سے شویت، پر، شُولی، ڈِنڈی اور مُنڈی؛ نیز سہِشنُو اور سوم شرما—اور آخر میں ربّ نَکُلیش بیان کیے گئے ہیں۔

Word by Word

• śvetaḥ: Śveta (name; white)
• śvetaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śveta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (नामरूपेण)

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• paraḥ: Para (name; the other/supreme)
• paraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (नाम/उपनामरूपेण)

• śūlī: Śūlī (name)
• śūlī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūlin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; इन्-प्रत्ययान्त (trident-bearer; name)

• ḍiṇḍī: Ḍiṇḍī (name)
• ḍiṇḍī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ḍiṇḍin/ḍiṇḍī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (नाम)

• muṇḍī: Muṇḍī (name)
• muṇḍī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muṇḍin/muṇḍī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (नाम)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-निपात

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic particle)

• kramāt: successively
• kramāt: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: krama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; तृतीया-एकवचनरूपेण क्रियाविशेषण

• sahiṣṇuḥ: Sahiṣṇu (name; patient/enduring)
• sahiṣṇuḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahiṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (नाम); सह् (धातु) + इष्णु-प्रत्यय (enduring)

• somaśarmā: Somaśarmā (name)
• somaśarmā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: somaśarman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: सोम + शर्मन् (Soma-protection/joy; name)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-निपात

• nakulīśaḥ: Nakulīśa (name)
• nakulīśaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nakulīśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: नकुली + ईश (lord of Nakulī; name)

• antime: in the last
• antime: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: antima (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्रमवाचक-विशेषण

• prabhuḥ: the Lord
• prabhuḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेष्य-सम्बोधनार्थे/उपपद-विशेषणवत्

Speaker

Traditional Purāṇic narrator (Vyāsa/Sūta-style narration) listing a Śaiva/Pāśupata succession within the Kurma Purana’s syncretic frame

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Śveta
• Para
• Śūlī
• Ḍiṇḍī
• Muṇḍī
• Sahiṣṇu
• Somaśarmā
• Nakulīśa

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Directly, it does not define Ātman; it supports the Purāṇic teaching indirectly by grounding doctrine in an authorized lineage of teachers, culminating in Nakulīśa as a paradigmatic Śaiva master.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No specific practice is described in this verse; it functions as a paramparā-style enumeration associated with Pāśupata discipline, implying transmission of Śaiva yogic observances through recognized names.

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

By embedding a Śaiva/Pāśupata lineage within the Kurma Purana’s Vaiṣṇava setting, it reflects the text’s synthesis: sectarian streams are presented as compatible paths within a broader dharmic unity.