Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 10

Kṛṣṇa’s Departure, Kali-yuga Dharma, and the Prohibition of Śiva-Nindā

Hari–Hara Samanvaya

Devanagari script

ये मां जनाः संस्मरन्ति कलौ सकृदपि प्रभुम् / तेषां नश्यतु तत् पापं भक्तानां पुरुषोत्तमे

Transliteration

ye māṃ janāḥ saṃsmaranti kalau sakṛdapi prabhum / teṣāṃ naśyatu tat pāpaṃ bhaktānāṃ puruṣottame

Translation

在迦梨世中，纵使有人仅一次忆念我——主宰——愿诸奉者之罪即刻消灭；因为我乃补卢沙奥多摩，众生之上至上者。

Word by Word

• ye: who
• ye: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• janāḥ: people
• janāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• saṃsmaranti: remember
• saṃsmaranti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-√smṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• kalau: in Kali (age)
• kalau: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kali (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन

• sakṛt: once
• sakṛt: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sakṛt (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाण/आवृत्तिवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: once)

• api: even
• api: Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्धबोधक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle: even/also)

• prabhum: the Lord
• prabhum: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• teṣām: of them
• teṣām: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• naśyatu: let (it) perish
• naśyatu: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √naś (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (imperative/benedictive sense), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• tat: that
• tat: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; सर्वनाम-विशेषण

• pāpam: sin
• pāpam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• bhaktānām: of devotees
• bhaktānām: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन

• puruṣa-uttame: in/unto the Supreme Person
• puruṣa-uttame: Sambodhana/Adhikaraṇa (सम्बोधन/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puruṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (uttamaḥ puruṣaḥ)

Speaker

Lord Kurma (Vishnu) speaking as the Supreme Lord, teaching the power of bhakti and smaraṇa in Kali-yuga

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Kali-yuga
• Prabhu (the Lord)
• Purushottama (Supreme Person)

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

By calling the Lord “Prabhu” and “Purushottama,” the verse presents the Supreme as the highest Ishvara whose grace purifies; remembrance aligns the individual with that supreme reality and dissolves accumulated pāpa.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The practice emphasized is smaraṇa (mindful recollection of the Lord), a bhakti-based discipline that functions as an accessible Kali-yuga sādhana, supporting inner purification that complements yogic restraint and devotion-centered practice.

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

Though voiced as Purushottama (a Vaishnava epithet), the teaching matches the Kurma Purana’s broader Ishvara-centered synthesis: remembrance of the one Supreme Lord (Ishvara) is salvific, harmonizing Shaiva and Vaishnava devotional frameworks.