Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 23
Genealogies of Kaśyapa and Pulastya; Rise of Brahmavādin Lines and Rākṣasa Branches
अरुन्धत्यां वसिष्ठस्तु शक्तिमुत्पादयत् सुतम् / शक्तेः पराशरः श्रीमान् सर्वज्ञस्तपतां वरः
arundhatyāṃ vasiṣṭhastu śaktimutpādayat sutam / śakteḥ parāśaraḥ śrīmān sarvajñastapatāṃ varaḥ
من أَرُونْدَهَتِي وَلَدَ فَسِشْتَهُ ابناً اسمه شَكْتِي. ومن شَكْتِي وُلِدَ بَرَاشَرَا البهيّ—العالِمُ بكلِّ شيءٍ، والأفضلُ بين أهلِ التَّقَشُّفِ.
Sūta (narrator) recounting the Purāṇic genealogy to the sages (Naimiṣāraṇya frame)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
This verse does not directly teach Ātman-doctrine; it establishes the ṛṣi lineage (Vasiṣṭha → Śakti → Parāśara), a traditional framework through which later spiritual instruction on Self-knowledge and dharma is transmitted in the Purāṇa.
No specific yogic technique is described; the phrase “foremost among ascetics” (tapatāṃ varaḥ) valorizes tapas—disciplined austerity and sustained spiritual effort—often treated in Purāṇas as a foundation supporting mantra, meditation, and higher yoga teachings elsewhere in the Kurma Purana.
It does not explicitly address Śiva–Viṣṇu theology; instead, it situates revered sages whose teachings later articulate the Kurma Purana’s broader synthesis of devotion, dharma, and yogic discipline across Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava streams.