Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 66

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

Devanagari script

ॐ नमो नीलकण्ठाय त्रिनेत्राय च रंहसे / महादेवाय ते नित्यमीशानाय नमो नमः

Transliteration

oṃ namo nīlakaṇṭhāya trinetrāya ca raṃhase / mahādevāya te nityamīśānāya namo namaḥ

Translation

Om—đảnh lễ Đấng Cổ Xanh (Nīlakaṇṭha), Đấng Ba Mắt (Trinetra), và Chúa Tể mau lẹ. Con hằng cúi lạy Ngài, Mahādeva—đảnh lễ, đảnh lễ mãi mãi đến Īśāna, bậc Chủ Tể tối thượng.

Word by Word

• oṃ: Oṃ
• oṃ: Sambodhana/maṅgala (सम्बोधन/मङ्गल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: oṃ (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; praṇava (sacred syllable)

• namaḥ: salutation
• namaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (indeclinable interjection); used with dative: ‘salutation to’

• nīla-kaṇṭhāya: to the Blue-throated one
• nīla-kaṇṭhāya: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nīla + kaṇṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Caturthī-vibhakti (Dative, 4th), Ekavacana; samāsa: nīlaḥ kaṇṭhaḥ = blue-throated

• tri-netrāya: to the three-eyed one
• tri-netrāya: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri + netra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Caturthī, Ekavacana; dvigu: three-eyed

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; samuccaya (conjunction)

• raṃhase: to the swift one
• raṃhase: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: raṃhas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Caturthī, Ekavacana; epithet ‘swift/impetuous’

• mahā-devāya: to Mahādeva
• mahā-devāya: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Caturthī, Ekavacana; ‘great god’

• te: to you
• te: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma, Caturthī (Dative, 4th), Ekavacana

• nityam: always
• nityam: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nityam (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; kāla-viśeṣaṇa (adverb)

• īśānāya: to Īśāna
• īśānāya: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Caturthī, Ekavacana

• namaḥ: salutation
• namaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya; ‘salutation’

• namaḥ: salutation
• namaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya; repetition for emphasis

Speaker

A devotee/narratorial voice within the Śiva-stuti context (Kurma Purana’s hymn section)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: vira

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Nilakantha
• Trinetra
• Mahadeva
• Ishana
• Om

More Details (5 sections)

FAQs

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

By invoking Īśāna as the ever-present Lord addressed through Om, the verse frames the Supreme as a single sovereign reality approached via reverent recognition rather than argument—pointing to the Atman’s alignment with Īśvara as the inner ruler.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse models mantra-japa and bhakti-yoga: beginning with “oṃ,” repeating salutations (namaḥ namaḥ), and meditating on Śiva’s epithets (Nīlakaṇṭha, Trinetra, Īśāna) as supports for single-pointed contemplation (ekāgratā) in a Pāśupata-oriented devotional discipline.

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

Within the Kurma Purana’s synthetic theology, such Śiva-stuti functions as a legitimate path to the same Supreme Lord; devotion to Mahādeva is presented as fully compatible with Purāṇic Vaiṣṇava frameworks, emphasizing unity of ultimate divinity across names and forms.