Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 38
Invocation, Purāṇa Lakṣaṇas, Kurma at the Samudra-manthana, and Indradyumna’s Liberation Teaching
Iśvara-Gītā Prelude
सैषा सर्वजगत्सूतिः प्रकृतिस्त्रिगुणात्मिका / प्रागेव मत्तः संजाता श्रीकल्पे पद्मवासिनी
saiṣā sarvajagatsūtiḥ prakṛtistriguṇātmikā / prāgeva mattaḥ saṃjātā śrīkalpe padmavāsinī
هي بعينها أمُّ العالم كلّه ومصدرُه: بركريتي ذاتُ الطبيعةِ الثلاثيةِ للغونات. بل من قبلُ، في شري-كالبا، وُلِدَت منّي باسمِ بَدْمَفاسيني، الساكنةِ في اللوتس.
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing the sages/assembly on creation principles
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It presents the Supreme (here, Lord Kurma/Iśvara) as the prior cause from whom Prakṛti arises; the Self is thus beyond the guṇas, while Prakṛti is explicitly tri-guṇātmikā and becomes the matrix of cosmic manifestation.
No specific technique is prescribed in this verse; it supplies the metaphysical basis used in Kurma Purana Yoga teaching—discerning guṇa-bound Prakṛti from the guṇa-transcendent Iśvara/Ātman, a key contemplative discrimination (viveka) underlying Pāśupata-oriented discipline.
By grounding creation in a single Iśvara who is the source of tri-guṇa Prakṛti, the verse supports the Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis: the supreme lordship attributed to Vishnu here aligns with Shaiva metaphysics where the Lord stands beyond guṇas and manifests the cosmos through Prakṛti.