Shloka 4
Cosmic Night, Nārāyaṇa as Brahmā, and the Varāha Raising of the Earth
इमं चोदाहरन्त्यत्र श्लोकं नारायणं प्रति / ब्रह्मस्वरूपिणं देवं जगतः प्रभवाप्ययम्
imaṃ codāharantyatra ślokaṃ nārāyaṇaṃ prati / brahmasvarūpiṇaṃ devaṃ jagataḥ prabhavāpyayam
وهنا يُستشهد أيضًا ببيتٍ موجَّه إلى نارايانا: «ذلك الدِّيفا الذي هيئته عينُها براهْمَن؛ هو مبدأُ الكون ومآله إلى الفناء.»
Purāṇic narrator (Vyāsa/Sūta tradition) quoting a traditional śloka in praise of Nārāyaṇa
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
By identifying Nārāyaṇa as brahma-svarūpin (of the nature of Brahman), the verse points to the Supreme as the non-dual Absolute underlying all names and forms—functioning as both the ground of being and the final reality into which all returns.
This verse itself is a doctrinal praise (stuti) rather than a practice-manual; in the Kurma Purana’s broader yogic frame, such recognition supports īśvara-bhāvanā—steady contemplation of the Lord as Brahman—used as a foundation for meditation, devotion, and inner dissolution (laya) of ego into the Absolute.
By presenting Nārāyaṇa as Brahman and as the cosmic source and dissolution, it aligns with the Kurma Purana’s synthesis where sectarian forms (Śiva/Vişṇu) are understood as expressions of one supreme reality, approached through different names yet grounded in the same Brahman.