Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 35
Naimittika-pralaya and the Theology of Kāla: Seven Suns, Saṃvartaka Fire, Flood, and Varāha Kalpa
केचिन्नीलोत्पलश्यामाः केचित् कुमुदसन्निभाः / धूम्रवर्णास्तथा केचित् केचित् पीताः पयोधराः
kecinnīlotpalaśyāmāḥ kecit kumudasannibhāḥ / dhūmravarṇāstathā kecit kecit pītāḥ payodharāḥ
فمنها ما كان داكناً كزرقةِ النيلوتبالا، ومنها ما يشبه بياضَ زهرةِ الكُمُدَة الشاحب، ومنها ما لونه لونُ الدخان، ومنها ما كان أصفرَ ذهبياً.
Purāṇic narrator (Vyāsa tradition) describing varieties of forms within creation
Primary Rasa: shringara
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
Indirectly: by cataloging bodily variety, it highlights that physical attributes are mutable products of prakṛti, while the Ātman is not defined by color, form, or embodiment.
No technique is taught directly; the verse supports yogic viveka (discrimination) by reminding the seeker not to identify the Self with bodily appearance—an attitude foundational to Pāśupata and other Śaiva-Vaiṣṇava syntheses in the Kurma Purana.
It does not mention Śiva or Viṣṇu explicitly; its broader purāṇic function aligns with the text’s integrative theology by treating embodied diversity as part of a single cosmic order governed by the Supreme.