Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 29
Invocation, Purāṇa Lakṣaṇas, Kurma at the Samudra-manthana, and Indradyumna’s Liberation Teaching
Iśvara-Gītā Prelude
देवाश्च तुष्टुवुर्देवं नारदाद्या महर्षयः / कूर्मरूपधरं दृष्ट्वा साक्षिणं विष्णुमव्ययम्
devāśca tuṣṭuvurdevaṃ nāradādyā maharṣayaḥ / kūrmarūpadharaṃ dṛṣṭvā sākṣiṇaṃ viṣṇumavyayam
ولمّا رأى الآلهةُ والمهارِشيّون يتقدّمهم نارادا الإلهَ الذي اتخذ هيئة السلحفاة—وهو فيشنو، الشاهد الذي لا يفنى—سبّحوه ومدحوه.
Sūta (narrator) to the assembled sages (e.g., at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
By calling Vishnu “sākṣin” (the Witness) and “avyaya” (imperishable), the verse points to the Supreme as the changeless inner observer beyond transient forms—an Atman/Ishvara teaching compatible with non-dual insight.
The key yogic cue is “sākṣin” (witnessing): cultivating sākṣī-bhāva—steady awareness that observes thoughts and events without attachment—supported by bhakti (praise) as a stabilizing discipline.
Though Vishnu is named, the emphasis on the imperishable Witness reflects the Purana’s integrative theology: the supreme principle praised by devas and sages is one, approached through different divine names in Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis.