Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 15

Iśvara on Māyā, the Unmanifest, and the Viśvarūpa of the One Supreme

Devanagari script

तदव्ययं कलिलं गूढदेहं ब्रह्मानन्दममृतं विश्वधाम / वदन्त्येवं ब्राह्मणा ब्रह्मनिष्ठा यत्र गत्वा न निवर्तेत भूयः

Transliteration

tadavyayaṃ kalilaṃ gūḍhadehaṃ brahmānandamamṛtaṃ viśvadhāma / vadantyevaṃ brāhmaṇā brahmaniṣṭhā yatra gatvā na nivarteta bhūyaḥ

Translation

梵（Brahman）确是那不坏的真实——微妙难辨，隐于具身之中——为梵之喜乐，不死，亦为宇宙之归依。安住于梵的婆罗门圣者如是宣说：至彼处者，不复再返。

Word by Word

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun (सर्वनाम), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• avyayam: imperishable
• avyayam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: avyaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• kalilam: dense, compact (mysterious)
• kalilam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kalila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• gūḍha-deham: having a hidden form
• gūḍha-deham: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gūḍha (प्रातिपदिक) + deha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Karmadhāraya (कर्मधारय) 'hidden-bodied'; Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• brahma-ānandam: Brahman-bliss
• brahma-ānandam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक) + ānanda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) (genitive: 'bliss of Brahman'); Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• amṛtam: immortal, nectar-like
• amṛtam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: amṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• viśva-dhāma: universal abode
• viśva-dhāma: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśva (प्रातिपदिक) + dhāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) (genitive: 'abode of all/the universe'); Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• vadanti: say
• vadanti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vad (धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• evam: thus
• evam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb 'thus'

• brāhmaṇāḥ: Brahmins
• brāhmaṇāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• brahma-niṣṭhāḥ: steadfast in Brahman
• brahma-niṣṭhāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक) + niṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) (locative/genitive sense: 'steadfast in Brahman'); Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), relative adverb of place (देशवाचक)

• gatvā: having gone
• gatvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √gam (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त), indeclinable

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Negation particle (निषेध)

• nivarteta: would return
• nivarteta: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni√vṛt (धातु)
• Form: Optative (विधिलिङ्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद)

• bhūyaḥ: again
• bhūyaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhūyas (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb 'again, further'

Speaker

Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing in the Ishvara Gita context

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Characters & Entities

• Brahman
• Brahmanishtha Brahmanas (brahma-niṣṭhāḥ brāhmaṇāḥ)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

It describes the Supreme as imperishable and immortal, the bliss of Brahman, subtly hidden within embodied existence, and as the very support/abode of the universe—indicating the Atman-Brahman reality as the ultimate ground of all.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse emphasizes the fruition of Brahman-realization taught in the Ishvara Gita—steady contemplative establishment (brahma-niṣṭhā) culminating in direct attainment of Brahman, the state from which there is no return to saṃsāra.

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

While not naming Shiva explicitly, it aligns with the Kurma Purana’s synthesis: the supreme goal is Brahman itself—one, deathless, and all-supporting—beyond sectarian distinction, the same ultimate Reality taught through both Shaiva (Pashupata) and Vaishnava idioms.