Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 17
Cosmic Realms Above Dhruva, the Pātālas Below, and the Foundation of Pralaya
Ananta–Kāla
अनन्तेन च संयुक्तं मुचुकुन्देन धीमता / नृपेण बलिना चैव पातालस्वर्गवासिना
anantena ca saṃyuktaṃ mucukundena dhīmatā / nṛpeṇa balinā caiva pātālasvargavāsinā
وكان أيضًا في حِلْفٍ مع أنَنْتَ، ومع موچوكُندَ الحكيم؛ وكذلك مع الملك بالي الجبّار، الساكن في پاتالا، ومع ذلك ينعم بنعيم عالم السماء.
Sūta (narrator) recounting Purāṇic lineage and associations to the sages
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
This verse is primarily genealogical and relational; it does not directly teach Ātman-doctrine, but it reflects the Purāṇic view that even cosmic realms (Svarga/Pātāla) and great kings exist within a divinely ordered dharmic cosmos.
No explicit Yoga practice is taught in this verse; it functions as narrative context. In the Kurma Purana, such contextual sections frame later teachings where dharma, devotion, and disciplined practice (including Pāśupata-oriented themes) are elaborated.
The verse does not explicitly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu; indirectly, it supports the Purāṇic synthesis by situating renowned figures and realms within a single sacred history governed by the same supreme order acknowledged across Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava strands.