Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 4
Invocation, Purāṇa Lakṣaṇas, Kurma at the Samudra-manthana, and Indradyumna’s Liberation Teaching
Iśvara-Gītā Prelude
तस्य ते सर्वरोमाणि वचसा हृषितानि यत् / द्वैपायनस्य भगवांस्ततो वै रोमहर्षणः
tasya te sarvaromāṇi vacasā hṛṣitāni yat / dvaipāyanasya bhagavāṃstato vai romaharṣaṇaḥ
Weil sich bei jenen Worten vor Freude alle Haare an seinem Leib sträubten, gab ihm der erhabene Dvaipāyana (Vyāsa) daher den Namen Romaharṣaṇa, „dessen Haar sich aufrichtet“.
Suta (Romaharshana) as narrator in the Purana’s opening frame
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
Indirectly: it highlights sāttvika bhāva—spiritual joy and reverence arising from sacred teaching—preparing the listener for later Atman/Ishvara doctrines, though no explicit Atman definition is given here.
No formal yoga practice is taught in this verse; it emphasizes the inner sign of devotional receptivity (romaharṣa), a traditional marker of deep absorption that supports later Kurma Purana teachings on disciplined yoga and devotion.
It does not address Shiva–Vishnu unity directly; it establishes the authority-chain of the Purana through Vyāsa and the Sūta, which later carries the text’s Shaiva–Vaishnava harmonizing theology.