Shloka 1
Cosmic Manifestation, Mahāmāyā’s Mandate, Varṇāśrama-Dharma, and the Unity of the Trimūrti
इति श्रीकूर्मपुराणे षट्साहस्त्र्यां संहितायां पूर्वविभागे प्रथमो ऽध्यायः श्रीकूर्म उवाच शृणुध्वमृषयः सर्वे यत्पृष्टो ऽहं जगद्धितम् / वक्ष्यमाणं मया सर्वमिन्द्रद्युम्नाय भाषितम्
iti śrīkūrmapurāṇe ṣaṭsāhastryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ pūrvavibhāge prathamo 'dhyāyaḥ śrīkūrma uvāca śṛṇudhvamṛṣayaḥ sarve yatpṛṣṭo 'haṃ jagaddhitam / vakṣyamāṇaṃ mayā sarvamindradyumnāya bhāṣitam
So endet im Śrī Kūrma-Purāṇa, in der Sammlung von sechstausend Versen, im ersten Teil, das erste Kapitel. Śrī Kūrma sprach: „Hört, ihr alle Weisen, was ihr mich zum Heil der Welt gefragt habt. Ich werde alles darlegen, so wie ich es König Indradyumna verkündet habe.“
Lord Kurma (Vishnu in Kurma form)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
This verse does not directly define Ātman; it frames Lord Kūrma as the authoritative teacher whose forthcoming instruction is intended for universal welfare (jagaddhita), a typical Purāṇic setup for later metaphysical exposition.
No specific yoga technique is taught in this line; it functions as a transition into instruction. In the Kūrma Purāṇa’s broader arc, such openings commonly introduce later guidance on dharma and yogic discipline (including Pāśupata-oriented themes in related sections).
The verse does not explicitly mention Śiva, but it establishes a Purāṇic teaching frame where Lord Kūrma (a Viṣṇu form) delivers doctrine that, in this Purāṇa, is often harmonized with Śaiva currents—supporting a synthetic, non-sectarian trajectory across chapters.