Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 9

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

Devanagari script

यो ऽनन्तः पुरुषो योनिर्लोकानामव्ययो हरिः / स्त्रीवेषं विष्णुरास्थाय सो ऽनुगच्छति शूलिनम्

Transliteration

yo 'nantaḥ puruṣo yonirlokānāmavyayo hariḥ / strīveṣaṃ viṣṇurāsthāya so 'nugacchati śūlinam

Translation

Hari bất hoại—Vishnu—Đấng Purusha vô tận, là nguồn thai của các thế giới, khoác hình nữ nhân và theo sau Śūlin (Śiva), bậc cầm cây tam xoa.

Word by Word

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• अनन्तः: endless, infinite
• अनन्तः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; epithet of Viṣṇu

• पुरुषः: person, Puruṣa
• पुरुषः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• योनिḥ: source, womb, origin
• योनिḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; apposition

• लोकानाम्: of the worlds
• लोकानाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• अव्ययः: imperishable
• अव्ययः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अव्यय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• हरिः: Hari (Viṣṇu)
• हरिः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• स्त्रीवेषम्: woman’s attire
• स्त्रीवेषम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्त्री-वेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• विष्णुः: Viṣṇu
• विष्णुः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• आस्थाय: having assumed
• आस्थाय: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषणम्)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), परस्मैपदी; ‘having assumed’

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; demonstrative pronoun

• अनुगच्छति: follows
• अनुगच्छति: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु-गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• शूलिनम्: Śūlin (trident-bearer)
• शूलिनम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूलिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; ‘the trident-bearer’ (Śiva)

Speaker

Narratorial voice within the Purva-bhaga (Purana narrator describing the Shiva–Vishnu unity motif)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shringara

Characters & Entities

• Hari (Vishnu)
• Shiva (Shulin)

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

By calling Hari the infinite Puruṣa, imperishable, and the yoni (source) of all worlds, the verse points to a single supreme reality that is both transcendent (avyaya, ananta) and the causal ground (yoni) behind manifestation.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No step-by-step practice is stated, but the theological basis for Kurma Purana’s Yoga teaching is implied: meditation should fix on the one imperishable Lord who appears in many forms (veṣa) yet remains the single source—supporting ekāgratā (one-pointedness) and īśvara-bhāvanā (contemplation of the Lord).

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

It presents a deliberate unity motif: Vishnu (Hari), the cosmic source, assumes a form and follows Shiva (Śūlin), indicating mutual non-opposition and a shared divine sovereignty central to the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis.