Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 24
Measure of the Three Worlds, Planetary Spheres, and Sūrya as the Root of Trailokya
विस्तीर्णं मण्डलं कृत्वा तस्योर्ध्वं चरते शशी / नक्षत्रमण्डलं कृत्स्नं सोमादूर्ध्वं प्रसर्पति
vistīrṇaṃ maṇḍalaṃ kṛtvā tasyordhvaṃ carate śaśī / nakṣatramaṇḍalaṃ kṛtsnaṃ somādūrdhvaṃ prasarpati
বিস্তীৰ্ণ মণ্ডল গঢ়ি তাৰ ঊৰ্ধ্বে শশী (চন্দ্ৰ) বিচৰণ কৰে; আৰু সোমৰ ওপৰত সমগ্ৰ নক্ষত্ৰমণ্ডল বিস্তাৰিত হৈ আগবাঢ়ে।
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing in Purāṇic cosmography
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
Indirectly: by mapping ordered cosmic layers (Moon and Nakṣatra-sphere), the verse reflects a dhārmic vision of a structured universe—supporting the Purāṇic teaching that the Supreme Self is the underlying regulator beyond all moving spheres.
No specific āsana or mantra is stated; the verse supports dhyāna through cosmic visualization—contemplating the Moon’s course and the nakṣatra-maṇḍala as a meditative aid, consistent with Purāṇic upāsanā and later Ishvara-centered Yoga instructions in the Kurma tradition.
The verse is cosmographic rather than sectarian; in the Kurma Purana’s synthesis, such cosmic order is ultimately governed by the one Īśvara—understood as non-contradictory whether addressed through Vaiṣṇava (Kurma/Vishnu) or Śaiva (Īśvara/Pāśupata) lenses.