Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 2

Īśvara-gītā: Antaryāmin, Kāla, and the Divine Ordinance Governing Creation, Preservation, and Pralaya

Devanagari script

सर्वलोकैकनिर्माता सर्वलोकैकरक्षिता / सर्वलोकैकसंहर्ता सर्वात्माहं सनातनः

Transliteration

sarvalokaikanirmātā sarvalokaikarakṣitā / sarvalokaikasaṃhartā sarvātmāhaṃ sanātanaḥ

Translation

唯我是一切世界的创造者，唯我是一切世界的守护者，亦唯我是一切世界的摄灭者。我是永恒的至上自性，是万有之内在自我。

Word by Word

• sarvalokaikanirmātā: sole creator of all worlds
• sarvalokaikanirmātā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva + loka + eka + nirmātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular); तत्पुरुषः (sarva-loka-eka-nirmātā = ‘sole creator of all worlds’)

• sarvalokaikarakṣitā: sole protector of all worlds
• sarvalokaikarakṣitā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva + loka + eka + rakṣitṛ/rakṣitā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular); तत्पुरुषः (‘sole protector of all worlds’)

• sarvalokaikasaṃhartā: sole destroyer of all worlds
• sarvalokaikasaṃhartā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva + loka + eka + saṃhartṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular); तत्पुरुषः (‘sole destroyer of all worlds’)

• sarvātmā: the Self of all
• sarvātmā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular); तत्पुरुषः (‘self of all’)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular), उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम

• sanātanaḥ: eternal
• sanātanaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sanātana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (singular); विशेषण (qualifying aham/implicit īśvaraḥ)

Speaker

Lord Kurma (Vishnu as Ishvara, teaching the Ishvara Gita)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Ishvara (Supreme Lord)
• Sarvatman (Self of all beings)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

It identifies the Supreme Lord as sarvātmā—the indwelling Self of all beings—eternal (sanātana) and not limited to any single form, while still functioning as the cosmic Lord.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

This verse provides the meditation-object (ālambana) for Pashupata-style devotion and contemplation: Ishvara as the single source, sustainer, and dissolver of the cosmos, to be realized as the inner Self (sarvātmā) through disciplined yoga and worship.

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

By presenting one Ishvara as the sole creator-protector-dissolver and the Self of all, the Kurma Purana supports a unitive (synthesis) reading in which sectarian names differ but the supreme reality is one.