Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 24
Dakṣa’s Progeny, Nṛsiṃha–Varāha Avatāras, and Andhaka’s Defeat
Hari–Hara–Śakti Synthesis
दृष्ट्वा देवं जगद्योनिं विष्णुं विश्वगुरुं शिवम् / ववन्दे चरणौ मूर्ध्ना कृताञ्जलिरभाषत
dṛṣṭvā devaṃ jagadyoniṃ viṣṇuṃ viśvaguruṃ śivam / vavande caraṇau mūrdhnā kṛtāñjalirabhāṣata
Als er den göttlichen Herrn erblickte—den Schoß des Universums—, Viṣṇu, den Lehrer der Welt, der zugleich Śiva ist, verneigte er sich und berührte mit dem Haupt Seine Füße; dann sprach er, die Hände ehrfürchtig gefaltet.
Narrator (describing the devotee’s act of reverence before the Lord identified as Vishnu-Shiva)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
By naming the Lord as jagadyoni (source of all) and viśvaguru (universal guide), the verse points to a single supreme reality that underlies and instructs the cosmos; the same supreme is addressed through the unified designation “Vishnu… Shiva.”
The verse foregrounds bhakti as a yogic discipline: darśana (sacred seeing), praṇipāta (bowing/surrender at the feet), and añjali (joined-palms reverence). In Kurma Purana’s synthesis, such devotion supports inner steadiness and receptivity to instruction (guru-tattva).
It presents a deliberate identification—Vishnu is praised as “Shiva” (the auspicious Lord), conveying the Purana’s Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis where the supreme Lord is one, approached through complementary names and forms.