Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 24

Īśvara-gītā: Antaryāmin, Kāla, and the Divine Ordinance Governing Creation, Preservation, and Pralaya

Devanagari script

यो ऽपि सर्वधनाध्यक्षो धनानां संप्रदायकः / सो ऽपीश्वरनियोगेन कुबेरो वर्तते सदा

Transliteration

yo 'pi sarvadhanādhyakṣo dhanānāṃ saṃpradāyakaḥ / so 'pīśvaraniyogena kubero vartate sadā

Translation

Ngay cả Đấng cai quản mọi của cải và ban phát tài lộc—Kubera—cũng vận hành mãi mãi chỉ theo sự bổ nhiệm của Thượng Đế Tối Cao.

Word by Word

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); relative pronoun (सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम)

• api: also/even
• api: Sambandha/Discourse marker (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात), concessive/emphatic

• sarva-dhana-adhyakṣaḥ: overseer of all wealth
• sarva-dhana-adhyakṣaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + dhana (प्रातिपदिक) + adhyakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: sarvadhana- = 'of all wealth' + adhyakṣa 'overseer'

• dhanānām: of riches
• dhanānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Genitive (षष्ठी/6), Plural (बहुवचन)

• saṃpradāyakaḥ: dispenser/granter
• saṃpradāyakaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃpradāyaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); demonstrative pronoun (सर्वनाम)

• api: also
• api: Sambandha/Discourse marker (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात), emphatic

• īśvara-niyogena: by the Lord’s command
• īśvara-niyogena: Karana (करण/तृतीया)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक) + niyoga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (तृतीया/3), Singular (एकवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'by the appointment/command of the Lord'

• kuberaḥ: Kubera
• kuberaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kubera (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• vartate: exists/acts/remains
• vartate: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vṛt (धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन); Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद)

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण अव्यय)

Speaker

Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing the sages (contextual narrator tradition)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Ishvara
• Kubera

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

It presents Īśvara as the ultimate regulator behind all functions: even Kubera’s power to govern and grant wealth operates by divine commission, implying a higher, sustaining reality beyond limited offices.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse supports īśvara-praṇidhāna (devotional surrender/attunement to the Lord): recognizing all agency as dependent on Īśvara cultivates humility, detachment from possessions, and disciplined use of wealth in dharma.

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

By grounding even major divine authorities in a single Īśvara-niyoga (Lord’s ordinance), it reflects the Purana’s integrative stance: diverse divine functions are unified under one supreme governance rather than competing absolutes.