Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 38
Virocana–Bali, Aditi’s Tapas, and the Vāmana–Trivikrama Episode
यस्य सा तामसी मूर्तिः शङ्करो राजसी तनुः / ब्रह्मा संजायते विष्णुरंशेनैकेन सत्त्वभृत्
yasya sā tāmasī mūrtiḥ śaṅkaro rājasī tanuḥ / brahmā saṃjāyate viṣṇuraṃśenaikena sattvabhṛt
منه تكون الصورة التامسية شَنْكَرَ (Śaṅkara)، والجسد الراجسي يصير بَرَهْما (Brahmā)، وأما فيشنو، حامِل السَّتْفَة، فينبثق من جزء واحد من ذلك الأعلى.
Lord Kūrma (Vishnu) speaking to the sages (as part of Purāṇic instruction)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It presents the Supreme as one reality that manifests functionally through guṇa-conditioned forms—creation, sustenance, and dissolution—without implying an ultimate separation in essence.
While not prescribing a technique directly, it supports guṇa-viveka (discernment of sattva, rajas, tamas) as a contemplative framework used in Yoga and Purāṇic sādhanā to transcend guṇa-bound identity and realize the Supreme source.
Śaṅkara and Viṣṇu are shown as manifestations of the one Supreme through different guṇic functions—dissolution/tamas and sustenance/sattva—supporting the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis.