Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 6
Devī-tattva, Śakti–Śaktimān doctrine, Kāla–Māyā cosmology, and Māheśvara Yoga instruction
सौम्यासौम्यैस्तथा शान्ताशान्तैः स्त्रीत्वं च स प्रभुः / बिभेद बहुधा देवः स्वरूपैरसितैः सितैः
saumyāsaumyaistathā śāntāśāntaiḥ strītvaṃ ca sa prabhuḥ / bibheda bahudhā devaḥ svarūpairasitaiḥ sitaiḥ
Jener erhabene Herr entfaltete Sich auf vielerlei Weise—als sanft und nicht sanft, als friedvoll und nicht friedvoll, ja sogar in weiblicher Gestalt—und offenbarte sich als Gottheit in dunklen und lichten Formen.
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) speaking within the Ishvara Gita teaching
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It presents the Supreme as one Lord who remains singular yet appears as many contrasting modes (gentle/fierce, peaceful/agitated), indicating that multiplicity is a manifested play of one Ishvara rather than a second independent reality.
The verse supports an Ishvara-centered meditation (īśvara-dhyāna) where the practitioner learns to recognize all guṇic contrasts and divine iconographic forms as expressions of the one Lord—an orientation consistent with Pāśupata-style devotion joined to inner discernment.
By teaching a single प्रभुः (Lord) who manifests in peaceful and fierce modes, it aligns with the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian stance: the same Supreme is praised through Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava forms without contradiction.