Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 11

Puṣkara-dvīpa, Lokāloka, and the Measure of the Brahmāṇḍa

Cosmic Egg

Devanagari script

परेण तस्य महती दृश्यते लोकसंस्थितिः / काञ्चनी द्विगुणा भूमिः सर्वा चैव शिलोपमा

Transliteration

pareṇa tasya mahatī dṛśyate lokasaṃsthitiḥ / kāñcanī dviguṇā bhūmiḥ sarvā caiva śilopamā

Translation

越过其后，可见广大诸世界的安置。其间有一片黄金之地，广阔加倍，处处如坚固磐石。

Word by Word

• परेण: beyond
• परेण: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa; locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: परा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय, तृतीया-प्रयोगार्थे ‘beyond/after’

• तस्य: of that (place/it)
• तस्य: सम्बन्ध (Sambandha)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचन

• महती: great
• महती: कर्तृ-विशेषण (qualifies subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (fem), प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• दृश्यते: is seen, appears
• दृश्यते: क्रिया (Kriyā; verbal predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• लोकसंस्थितिः: the arrangement/order of the world
• लोकसंस्थितिः: कर्ता (Karta; subject of passive appearance)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक) + संस्थिति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास: ‘लोकस्य संस्थितिः’; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• काञ्चनी: golden
• काञ्चनी: कर्तृ-विशेषण (qualifies ‘भूमिः’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काञ्चन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• द्विगुणा: twofold, double
• द्विगुणा: कर्तृ-विशेषण (qualifies ‘भूमिः’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वि (संख्या) + गुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगु-समास (numerical): ‘द्वौ गुणौ यस्याः/या’; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• भूमिः: earth/land
• भूमिः: कर्ता (Karta; subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• सर्वा: entire, all
• सर्वा: कर्तृ-विशेषण (qualifies ‘भूमिः’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• च: and
• च: समुच्चय (coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: सम्बन्ध/अन्वय (emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• शिलोपमा: stone-like
• शिलोपमा: कर्तृ-विशेषण (qualifies ‘भूमिः’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शिला (प्रातिपदिक) + उपमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास: ‘शिलायाः उपमा’ (=like stone); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) recounting the cosmographic teaching as transmitted in the Purāṇic dialogue

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Lokas
• Bhūmi (earth/land)
• Puranic cosmography

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

This verse is primarily cosmographic, describing the vast ordering of worlds; indirectly, it supports the Purāṇic view that the manifest cosmos is structured and knowable, while the Atman remains the witnessing principle beyond such spatial descriptions.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No specific practice is prescribed in this verse; however, Kurma Purana’s broader teaching uses such cosmological mapping to cultivate viveka (discernment) and vairāgya (dispassion), supporting contemplative inquiry and devotion within Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis.

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

The verse does not explicitly mention Shiva or Vishnu; within the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian framework, such cosmology is presented as a shared sacred order upheld by the one Supreme Lord revered through both Shaiva and Vaishnava lenses.