Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 101
Prākṛta-pralaya, Pratisarga Doctrine, and the Ishvara-Samanvaya of Yoga and Devotion
यथात्म्यकथनं चाथ लिङ्गाविर्भाव एव च / ब्रह्मविष्णोस्तथा मध्ये कीर्तितो मुनिपुङ्गवाः
yathātmyakathanaṃ cātha liṅgāvirbhāva eva ca / brahmaviṣṇostathā madhye kīrtito munipuṅgavāḥ
আর তারপর, হে মুনিশ্রেষ্ঠগণ! আত্মতত্ত্বের যথার্থ ব্যাখ্যা ও লিঙ্গের আবির্ভাব বলা হয়; এবং ব্রহ্মা ও বিষ্ণুর মধ্যস্থলে প্রতিষ্ঠিত, ঘোষিত লিঙ্গের কথাও বর্ণিত হয়।
Sūta (narrator) addressing the sages (Munis) in a topic-summary style
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It signals that the chapter includes a yathātmyakathana—an authoritative exposition of reality-as-it-is—linking Self-knowledge with the recognition of the supreme principle symbolized by the Liṅga.
This specific verse functions as a thematic pointer rather than a practice-instruction: it frames the teaching as moving from metaphysical truth (ātman/yathātmyam) to a revelatory sacred symbol (Liṅga), a common Purāṇic basis for contemplative devotion (dhyāna) and inner inquiry (ātma-vicāra) in later passages.
By recalling the Liṅga ‘between Brahmā and Viṣṇu,’ it evokes the Lingodbhava motif where sectarian rivalry yields to a higher, unifying reality—supporting the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis.