Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 51

Viṣṇu at Upamanyu’s Āśrama: Pāśupata Tapas, Darśana of Śiva, and Boons from Devī

Devanagari script

ततो बहुतिथे काले सोमः सोमार्धभूषणः / अदृश्यत महादेवो व्योम्नि देव्या महेश्वरः

Transliteration

tato bahutithe kāle somaḥ somārdhabhūṣaṇaḥ / adṛśyata mahādevo vyomni devyā maheśvaraḥ

Translation

Rồi sau một thời gian rất lâu, Mahādeva—Đại Chúa, được trang sức bằng vầng trăng lưỡi liềm—đã hiện ra giữa hư không như Maheśvara, cùng với Nữ Thần.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then/thereafter
• tataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb (ततः = thereafter/from that)

• bahu-tithe: after many days
• bahu-tithe: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक) + tithi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter (contextual), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन); tatpuruṣa: ‘many tithis (days)’; qualifies ‘kāle’

• kāle: at a time
• kāle: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• somaḥ: Soma (the Moon)
• somaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: soma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• soma-ardha-bhūṣaṇaḥ: having the half-moon as ornament
• soma-ardha-bhūṣaṇaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: soma (प्रातिपदिक) + ardha (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); bahuvrīhi: ‘whose ornament is the half-moon’ (epithet of Śiva)

• adṛśyata: appeared/became visible
• adṛśyata: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु)
• Form: Tinganta (तिङन्त), Laṅ (लङ्, imperfect), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन); passive sense ‘was seen/appeared’

• mahādevaḥ: Mahādeva
• mahādevaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• vyomni: in the sky
• vyomni: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyoman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• devyā: with the Goddess / by the Goddess
• devyā: Sahakāraka (सहकारक) / Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• maheśvaraḥ: Maheśvara
• maheśvaraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator (Sūta/Vyāsa tradition), describing the event

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Mahadeva
• Maheśvara
• Soma (Moon)
• Devī (Goddess/Umā)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

By portraying Maheśvara as manifesting beyond ordinary visibility (“in the sky”), the verse hints that the Supreme is transcendent yet capable of gracious self-revelation (darśana) to devotees—an Atman/Iśvara who is both beyond and present.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

This verse itself is a darśana-motif rather than a technical yoga injunction: it supports the Pāśupata/Śaiva emphasis that sustained devotion, austerity, and long perseverance culminate in divine revelation—often described elsewhere in the Kurma Purana as the fruit of disciplined worship and meditative steadiness.

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

Within the Kurma Purana’s synthesis, Śiva’s epiphanic appearance functions as complementary divine authority alongside Viṣṇu/Kūrma narratives—supporting a non-sectarian frame where supreme reality is honored through both Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava revelations.