Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 6
Madhu–Kaiṭabha, Nārāyaṇa’s Yoga-Nidrā, Rudra’s Manifestation, and the Aṣṭamūrti–Trimūrti Teaching
तदाज्ञया महद्युद्धं तयोस्ताभ्यामभूद् द्विजाः / व्यनयत् कैटभं विष्णुर्जिष्णुश्च व्यनयन्मधुम्
tadājñayā mahadyuddhaṃ tayostābhyāmabhūd dvijāḥ / vyanayat kaiṭabhaṃ viṣṇurjiṣṇuśca vyanayanmadhum
O ihr Zweimalgeborenen, auf seinen Befehl erhob sich ein gewaltiger Kampf zwischen jenen beiden. Viṣṇu bezwang Kaiṭabha, und der Siegreiche (Jiṣṇu) bezwang ebenso Madhu.
Sūta (narrator) addressing the sages (dvijas) in the Naimiṣāraṇya-style discourse frame
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: raudra
FAQs
By depicting victory occurring “by His command,” the verse points to a single sovereign principle that governs cosmic events—suggesting the Supreme Lord as the inner ruler (antaryāmin) whose will orders even mythic conflict.
No specific yogic technique is taught in this verse; its practical implication aligns with Kurma Purana’s broader yoga-dharma ethic: steadiness (dhṛti) and surrender to Īśvara’s ordinance (ājñā) as the ground for right action.
While Śiva is not named here, the verse supports the Kurma Purana’s synthesis by emphasizing a single divine command and cosmic order—an interpretive bridge used elsewhere in the text to harmonize Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava theologies under one Īśvara.