Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 119

Devadāru (Dāruvana) Forest: The Delusion of Ritual Pride, the Liṅga Crisis, and the Teaching of Jñāna–Pāśupata Yoga

Devanagari script

अज्ञानाद् यदि वा ज्ञानाद् यत्किञ्चित्कुरुते नरः / तत्सर्वं भगवानेन कुरुते योगमायया

Transliteration

ajñānād yadi vā jñānād yatkiñcitkurute naraḥ / tatsarvaṃ bhagavānena kurute yogamāyayā

Translation

Dù do vô minh hay do trí biết mà con người làm bất cứ điều gì—tất cả đều do chính Bhagavān thành tựu, nhờ năng lực Yoga-māyā của Ngài.

Word by Word

• ajñānāt: from ignorance
• ajñānāt: Hetu/Cause (हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ajñāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter; Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha/Clause marker (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, conditional particle (शर्त)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha/Connector (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, disjunctive particle (विकल्प)

• jñānāt: from knowledge
• jñānāt: Hetu/Cause (हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jñāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter; Ablative (5th), Singular

• yat: whatever
• yat: Karma/Object (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Relative pronoun; Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; with kiñcit forms ‘whatever’

• kiñcit: anything
• kiñcit: Karma/Object (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kiṃcid (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: Indefinite pronoun; Neuter, Accusative Singular; used adverbially/nominally ‘anything’

• kurute: does
• kurute: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (present), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular; Ātmanepada

• naraḥ: a man; a person
• naraḥ: Karta/Subject (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine; Nominative (1st), Singular

• tat: that
• tat: Karma/Object (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Demonstrative pronoun; Neuter, Accusative (2nd), Singular; correlates with ‘yat’

• sarvam: all
• sarvam: Karma/Object (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter; Accusative, Singular; agrees with tat (tatsarvam = all that)

• bhagavatā: by the Lord
• bhagavatā: Karaṇa/Instrument (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine; Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular

• ena: by him/this
• ena: Karaṇa/Instrument (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun; Instrumental (3rd), Singular; enclitic; with bhagavatā = ‘by this Lord’

• kurute: does; brings about
• kurute: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra, 3rd person, Singular; Ātmanepada

• yoga-māyayā: by (his) Yogamāyā
• yoga-māyayā: Karaṇa/Instrument (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yoga (प्रातिपदिक) + māyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग); Instrumental (3rd), Singular; tatpuruṣa: ‘yogasya māyā’ / ‘yogamāyā’ (divine yogic illusion/power)

Speaker

Lord Kurma (Vishnu) teaching in the Ishvara Gita context

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Bhagavan
• Yoga-maya

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

It teaches that the ultimate agency behind all actions is Bhagavān alone; individual doership is secondary and conditioned, while the Supreme Self remains the inner ruler who enables action through Yoga-māyā.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse points to Yoga as discernment of true agency: meditation and self-inquiry reduce egoic doership, aligning the practitioner with Ishvara-bhāva (God-centered awareness) central to Kurma Purana’s Yoga-shāstra orientation.

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

By grounding all agency in one Bhagavān acting through Yoga-māyā, it supports the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis where the Supreme (spoken as Vishnu/Kurma) is also the same highest Lord revered in Shaiva frameworks.