Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 39
Prākṛta Sṛṣṭi and Pralaya: From Pradhāna to Brahmāṇḍa; Trimūrti Samanvaya
यमाहुः पुरुषं हंसं प्रधानात् परतः स्थितम् / हिरण्यगर्भं कपिलं छन्दोमूर्ति सनातनम्
yamāhuḥ puruṣaṃ haṃsaṃ pradhānāt parataḥ sthitam / hiraṇyagarbhaṃ kapilaṃ chandomūrti sanātanam
তাঁকেই পরম পুরুষ—হংস—বলা হয়, যিনি প্রধান (প্রকৃতি) অতিক্রম করে অবস্থান করেন; তিনিই হিরণ্যগর্ভ, কপিল, এবং ছন্দোমূর্তি সনাতন।
Sūta (narrator) conveying the Purāṇic teaching of the Supreme as described by sages
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It defines the Supreme as the Puruṣa/Haṃsa who stands beyond Pradhāna (Prakṛti), indicating the Self is transcendental to material causality and is the eternal ground of creation.
The verse implies a Sāṃkhya-Yoga discernment practice: separating Puruṣa (pure consciousness) from Pradhāna (nature). Meditation is oriented toward the Haṃsa principle—abiding in the witness beyond guṇas—aligned with Pāśupata-style transcendence of prakṛtic bonds.
By presenting the one Supreme as the Veda-embodied eternal Lord beyond Prakṛti, it supports the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis: the highest reality praised by different names and lineages (including Vedic, Sāṃkhya, and theistic traditions) is ultimately one.