Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 118

Prāyaścitta for Theft, Forbidden Foods, Impurity, and Ritual Lapses; Tīrtha–Vrata Remedies; Pativratā Mahātmyam via Sītā and Agni

Devanagari script

नमस्ये पावकं देवं साक्षिणं विश्वतोमुखम् / आत्मानं दीप्तवपुषं सर्वभूतहृदी स्थितम्

Transliteration

namasye pāvakaṃ devaṃ sākṣiṇaṃ viśvatomukham / ātmānaṃ dīptavapuṣaṃ sarvabhūtahṛdī sthitam

Translation

میں پاؤک دیو کو سلامِ بندگی پیش کرتا ہوں—جو ہر سمت رُخ رکھنے والا گواہ ہے؛ اس روشن پیکر آتما کو، جو ہر جاندار کے دل میں قائم ہے۔

Word by Word

• namasye: I bow to
• namasye: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √namas (धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), 1st Person (उत्तमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद)

• pāvakam: Pāvaka (Fire)
• pāvakam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāvaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• devam: god
• devam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); apposition to pāvakam

• sākṣiṇam: witness
• sākṣiṇam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sākṣin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• viśvataḥ-mukham: facing all directions
• viśvataḥ-mukham: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viśvataḥ (अव्यय) + mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyayībhāva (‘viśvataḥ’ = ‘from all sides’ + ‘mukha’), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• ātmānam: the Self
• ātmānam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); apposition to pāvakam/devam

• dīpta-vapuṣam: of blazing form
• dīpta-vapuṣam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dīpta (प्रातिपदिक) + vapuṣ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Karmadhāraya (‘dīptaṃ vapuḥ yasya’), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• sarva-bhūta-hṛdi: in the heart of all beings
• sarva-bhūta-hṛdi: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūta (प्रातिपदिक) + hṛd (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (षष्ठी: ‘sarvabhūtānāṃ hṛdi’), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• sthitam: situated, abiding
• sthitam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); agreeing with the deity addressed

Speaker

A devotee/narrator offering a reverential salutation (stuti) within the Kurma Purana’s doctrinal frame of the indwelling Witness (sākṣin)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Pāvaka (Agni)
• Ātman (Self)
• Sākṣin (Witness)

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

It identifies the Ātman as the luminous inner Witness (sākṣin) present in every direction and established in the heart of all beings—implying an all-pervading, non-limited consciousness rather than a merely individual self.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse supports sākṣin-bhāva (witness-attitude) meditation: turning attention to the radiant inner presence in the heart while cultivating purity (pāvaka as purifier), a core contemplative move aligned with Purāṇic Yoga and the Kurma Purana’s emphasis on inner realization alongside ritual.

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

By focusing on the single indwelling Witness-Self beyond sectarian form, it reflects the Kurma Purana’s integrative stance: the supreme reality worshipped through different divine names (often Shiva/Vishnu) is ultimately one, present in all hearts.