Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 83

Devī-tattva, Śakti–Śaktimān doctrine, Kāla–Māyā cosmology, and Māheśvara Yoga instruction

Devanagari script

सर्वशक्तिकलाकारा ज्योत्स्ना द्योर्महिमास्पदा / सर्वकार्यनियन्त्री च सर्वभूतेश्वरेश्वरी

Transliteration

sarvaśaktikalākārā jyotsnā dyormahimāspadā / sarvakāryaniyantrī ca sarvabhūteśvareśvarī

Translation

她是一切神力（śakti）及其诸艺之形体与化现；如月光，为天界辉煌之所依。她统摄一切作为，并为万有之主之至上女主。

Word by Word

• sarva-śakti-kalā-ākārā: embodiment of all powers and their kalās
• sarva-śakti-kalā-ākārā: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + śakti (प्रातिपदिक) + kalā (प्रातिपदिक) + ākāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), प्रथमा (Nom. 1), एकवचन; ‘सर्वशक्तीनां कलानां च आकारः’ (embodiment/form)

• jyotsnā: moonlight; radiance
• jyotsnā: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jyotsnā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), प्रथमा (Nom. 1), एकवचन

• dyoḥ: of heaven; of the sky
• dyoḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Gen. 6), एकवचन; वैदिक/काव्य-रूप (dyu ‘heaven/sky’)

• mahimā-āspadā: abode of majesty
• mahimā-āspadā: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahimā (प्रातिपदिक) + āspada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), प्रथमा (Nom. 1), एकवचन; ‘महिम्नः आस्पदम्’ (abode/support of glory)

• sarva-kārya-niyantrī: controller of all actions
• sarva-kārya-niyantrī: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + kārya (प्रातिपदिक) + niyantrī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), प्रथमा (Nom. 1), एकवचन; ‘सर्वकार्याणां नियन्त्री’ (controller)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• sarva-bhūta-īśvara-īśvarī: sovereign over the Lord of all beings
• sarva-bhūta-īśvara-īśvarī: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūta (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvarī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), प्रथमा (Nom. 1), एकवचन; ‘सर्वभूतानाम् ईश्वरस्य ईश्वरी’ (lady of the Lord of all beings)

Speaker

Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing King Indradyumna within the Ishvara Gita context

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Ishvari (Supreme Goddess/Shakti)
• Sarvabhuteshvara (Lord of all beings)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

By presenting the Supreme as Ishvara together with His Shakti—the power that manifests, illumines, and governs all activity—this verse implies that the ultimate Reality is not inert: it is conscious sovereignty expressed through an all-pervading regulating power.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse supports Ishvara-upasana in a Pashupata-oriented frame: meditation on the Supreme as both Lord (Sarvabhuteshvara) and His Shakti, recognizing that all karma and its fruits are governed by that divine regulation—leading the practitioner toward surrender, inner stillness, and disciplined action.

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

Using the universal title “Lord of all beings” and praising the same supreme Shakti, the verse aligns with the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis: the one Ishvara (understood as Shiva or Vishnu) is affirmed through the shared theological language of sovereignty and Shakti.