Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 58
Virocana–Bali, Aditi’s Tapas, and the Vāmana–Trivikrama Episode
आलोक्य तं पुरुषं विश्वकायं महान् बलिर्भक्तियोगेन विष्णुम् / ननाम नारायणमेकमव्ययं स्वचेतसा यं प्रणमन्ति देवाः
ālokya taṃ puruṣaṃ viśvakāyaṃ mahān balirbhaktiyogena viṣṇum / nanāma nārāyaṇamekamavyayaṃ svacetasā yaṃ praṇamanti devāḥ
Als er jenen allumfassenden Puruṣa schaute, dessen Leib das Universum ist—Viṣṇu—verneigte sich der große Bali im Yoga der Hingabe. Mit innerem Entschluss verehrte er den einen, unvergänglichen Nārāyaṇa, vor dem selbst die Götter sich in Ehrfurcht niederwerfen.
Suta (narrating to the sages) / Purana-narrator describing Bali’s act of surrender
Primary Rasa: bhakti (mapped to shanta)
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It presents the Supreme as the one imperishable Person (Narayana) who is viśvakāya—cosmic-bodied—indicating the transcendent Lord who also pervades and contains the universe, worthy of reverence even by the devas.
Bhakti-yoga is explicit: devotion expressed as inner resolve (svacetasā) and embodied surrender (praṇāma). The verse frames devotion as a disciplined yogic approach to realizing and worshipping the imperishable Lord.
While Shiva is not named here, the Kurma Purana’s broader synthesis is reflected in the yogic framing: the Supreme is approached through yoga and surrender, a shared Purāṇic method across Shaiva and Vaishnava streams, emphasizing one imperishable reality revered by all gods.