Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 35

Invocation, Purāṇa Lakṣaṇas, Kurma at the Samudra-manthana, and Indradyumna’s Liberation Teaching

Iśvara-Gītā Prelude

Devanagari script

अनयैव जगत्सर्वं सदेवासुरमानुषम् / मोहयामि द्विजश्रेष्ठा ग्रसामि विसृजामि च

Transliteration

anayaiva jagatsarvaṃ sadevāsuramānuṣam / mohayāmi dvijaśreṣṭhā grasāmi visṛjāmi ca

Translation

唯以此力，噢诸婆罗门中最胜者，我令整个宇宙——连同诸天、阿修罗与人类——皆陷迷妄；并且亦由此我摄收众生，又复令其再度流出显现。

Word by Word

• anayā: by this (she/this power)
• anayā: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (इदम् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• eva: indeed, alone
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Particle function)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable particle (निपात), emphasis/restriction

• jagat: the world
• jagat: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• sarvam: entire
• sarvam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); qualifying ‘jagat’

• sa-deva-asura-mānuṣam: together with gods, demons, and humans
• sa-deva-asura-mānuṣam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa + deva + asura + mānuṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); ‘together with gods, asuras, and humans’ qualifying ‘jagat’

• mohayāmi: I delude
• mohayāmi: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verbal action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: muh (मुह् धातु) [causative/णिजन्त: mohaya-]
• Form: Present (लट्), 1st person (उत्तमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), Causative (णिजन्त)

• dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ: O best of the twice-born
• dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija + śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Plural (बहुवचन)

• grasāmi: I devour
• grasāmi: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verbal action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gras (ग्रस् धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), 1st person (उत्तमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• visṛjāmi: I release, I emit
• visṛjāmi: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verbal action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi + sṛj (सृज् धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), 1st person (उत्तमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय/Coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक)

Speaker

Lord Kurma (Vishnu/Narayana as the Supreme Ishvara)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Maya
• Devas
• Asuras
• Manushyas
• Dvija

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

It presents the Supreme Lord as the sovereign Ishvara who wields Māyā to veil beings and also to withdraw and manifest the cosmos—implying a transcendent Self that is untouched while governing creation and dissolution.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse points to the fundamental yogic problem—moha (delusion) caused by Māyā—and thus supports Kurma Purana’s yogic thrust: discernment (viveka) and devotion/meditation on Ishvara to pierce Māyā and recognize the Lord as the source and end of all manifestations.

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

By emphasizing a single Supreme Ishvara who deludes and withdraws the universe, it aligns with the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis where the highest Lord (spoken here as Kurma/Vishnu) is understood in the same ultimate sense that Shaiva traditions attribute to Shiva—one reality operating through Māyā.