Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 32
Ikṣvāku-vaṃśa (Genealogy) culminating in Rāma; Setu-liṅga Māhātmya; Continuation through Kuśa and Lava
कदाचिद् वसतो ऽरण्ये रावणो नाम राक्षसः / परिव्राजकवेषेण सीतां हृत्वा ययौ पुरीम्
kadācid vasato 'raṇye rāvaṇo nāma rākṣasaḥ / parivrājakaveṣeṇa sītāṃ hṛtvā yayau purīm
Einst, als sie im Wald verweilten, entführte ein Rākṣasa namens Rāvaṇa, im Gewand eines wandernden Bettelmönchs, Sītā und zog in seine Stadt davon.
Purana narrator (Vyasa/Suta-style narration within the Kurma Purana’s frame)
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: raudra
FAQs
This verse is primarily narrative (Sītā-haraṇa) and does not directly teach ātma-tattva; indirectly, it sets a dharmic contrast—how delusion and disguise (māyā-like deception) lead to adharma, a theme later clarified through higher teachings in the Purana.
No explicit yoga practice is taught in this verse; its value is ethical and contextual—showing how outward appearance (veṣa) can mislead, a caution relevant to yogic discernment (viveka) emphasized elsewhere in the Kurma Purana’s spiritual instruction.
This specific verse does not mention Shiva-Vishnu unity; it functions as an epic episode within the Purana’s broader synthesis, where later sections integrate Shaiva and Vaishnava teachings into a unified dharmic and yogic vision.