Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 37
Solar Rays, Planetary Nourishment, Dhruva-Bondage of the Grahas, and the Lunar Cycle
न सोमस्य विनाशः स्यात् सुधा देवैस्तु पीयते / एवं सूर्यनिमित्तस्य क्षयो वृद्धिश्च सत्तमाः
na somasya vināśaḥ syāt sudhā devaistu pīyate / evaṃ sūryanimittasya kṣayo vṛddhiśca sattamāḥ
لا فناءَ لسُوما (القمر)؛ بل إنّ الآلهة تشرب جوهره الأمريتي. وهكذا، يا أكرمَ أهل الصلاح، فإنّ النقص والزيادة (المحاق والبدر) يقعان بوساطة الشمس بوصفها السبب المُحدِّد.
Sage narration (Purāṇic discourse explaining cosmic causality; traditional frame attributed to the Sūta/primary narrator addressing sages)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It states that Soma is not destroyed; his “nectar” is consumed by the devas, and the observable decrease and increase are governed through the Sun’s causal influence (sūrya-nimitta).
The verse implies regulated causality: apparent loss and gain in the cosmos occur through ordained conditions (nimitta), not through absolute annihilation—supporting a Purāṇic view of cyclical, law-governed transformation.
By presenting the cosmos as orderly and causally structured, it supports the Dharma-Yoga perspective that disciplined living and contemplation align one with ṛta/dharma—an outlook that later harmonizes with the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis and meditative frameworks.