Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 72

Viṣṇu at Upamanyu’s Āśrama: Pāśupata Tapas, Darśana of Śiva, and Boons from Devī

Devanagari script

नमस्ते व्योमरूपाय व्योमाधिपतये नमः / नरनारीशरीराय सांख्ययोगप्रवर्तिने

Transliteration

namaste vyomarūpāya vyomādhipataye namaḥ / naranārīśarīrāya sāṃkhyayogapravartine

Translation

顶礼于汝，形体即是虚空广大者；顶礼于虚空之主。顶礼于汝，示现男身与女身者；顶礼于汝，开演数论（Sāṃkhya）与瑜伽（Yoga）之道者。

Word by Word

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय, नमस्कारार्थक-निपात

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; enclitic

• व्योम-रूपाय: to the form of the sky/space
• व्योम-रूपाय: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्योमन् (प्रातिपदिक) + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (व्योम्नः रूपम्)

• व्योम-अधिपतये: to the lord of the sky/space
• व्योम-अधिपतये: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्योमन् (प्रातिपदिक) + अधिपति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (व्योम्नः अधिपतिः)

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय, नमस्कारार्थक-निपात

• नर-नारी-शरीराय: to him whose body is (both) man and woman
• नर-नारी-शरीराय: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक) + नारी (प्रातिपदिक) + शरीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (नरनार्योः शरीरम्)

• सांख्य-योग-प्रवर्तिने: to the promulgator of Sāṃkhya and Yoga
• सांख्य-योग-प्रवर्तिने: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सांख्य (प्रातिपदिक) + योग (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रवर्तिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (सांख्ययोगस्य प्रवर्तकः)

Speaker

A devotee/sage offering a stotra (hymn of salutation) within the Purva-bhaga narrative context

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Supreme Lord (Īśvara)
• Vyoma (Space/Akāśa)
• Sāṃkhya
• Yoga

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

By praising the Lord as “space-formed” and “lord of space,” the verse points to an all-pervading, subtle, limitless reality that contains and transcends embodied forms—suggesting the Supreme as the ground of being rather than a merely local deity.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse foregrounds Sāṃkhya (discriminative insight into puruṣa and prakṛti) together with Yoga (discipline of concentration and inner union). It frames both as divinely instituted sādhanas leading to realization of the all-pervading Īśvara.

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

Though not naming Śiva or Viṣṇu directly, it presents a single Īśvara who is cosmic (vyoma) and the source of Yoga-teachings—language that comfortably supports the Kurma Purana’s synthetic theology where supreme divinity can be praised in both Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava idioms.