Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 3

Cosmic Realms Above Dhruva, the Pātālas Below, and the Foundation of Pralaya

Ananta–Kāla

Devanagari script

जलोकात् तपोलोकः कोटित्रयसमन्वितः / वैराजास्तत्र वै देवाः स्थिता दाहविवर्जिताः

Transliteration

jalokāt tapolokaḥ koṭitrayasamanvitaḥ / vairājāstatra vai devāḥ sthitā dāhavivarjitāḥ

Translation

越过彼界有苦行天（Tapoloka），广达三拘胝；彼处确有毗罗阇诸天安住其间，远离灼烧之苦——无热恼、无衰败、无痛苦。

Word by Word

• ja-lokāt: from (that) world
• ja-lokāt: Apadana (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ja (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tapo-lokaḥ: Tapoloka
• tapo-lokaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• koṭi-traya-samanvitaḥ: endowed with three koṭis
• koṭi-traya-samanvitaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: koṭi (प्रातिपदिक) + traya (प्रातिपदिक) + samanvita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (agreeing with ‘tapolokaḥ’)

• vairājāḥ: the Vairājas
• vairājāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vairāja (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थ/पदार्थ-निपात (particle of emphasis)

• devāḥ: gods
• devāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• sthitāḥ: standing/abiding
• sthitāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √sthā (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; भूतकृदन्त/क्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• dāha-vivarjitāḥ: free from burning/heat
• dāha-vivarjitāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dāha (प्रातिपदिक) + vivarjita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (agreeing with ‘devāḥ’)

Speaker

Sūta (narrating the cosmological teaching within the Purāṇic dialogue)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Tapoloka
• Vairāja devas
• Virāj

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly, by describing Tapoloka as a realm of tapas where beings are “free from burning,” the verse gestures to liberation as freedom from afflictive conditions; this aligns with the Purāṇic ideal that realization of the Self culminates in transcendence of suffering and decay.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

Tapoloka is defined by tapas—disciplined austerity, restraint, and contemplation. In the Kurma Purana’s broader Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis, such tapas supports Yoga-sādhana (sense-control, steadiness of mind, and meditative absorption) aimed at becoming untouched by “dāha” (inner and outer torment).

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

While not naming Shiva or Vishnu explicitly, it reflects a shared Purāṇic soteriology: through tapas and yogic purity one reaches states free from affliction—an ideal upheld across both Shaiva (Pāśupata-oriented) and Vaishnava streams that the Kurma Purana harmonizes.