Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 36
Durjaya, Urvaśī, and the Expiation at Vārāṇasī
Genealogy and Sin-Removal through Viśveśvara
ततोर्वशी कामरूपा राज्ञे स्वं रूपमुत्कटम् / सुरोमशं पिङ्गलाक्षं दर्शयामास सर्वदा
tatorvaśī kāmarūpā rājñe svaṃ rūpamutkaṭam / suromaśaṃ piṅgalākṣaṃ darśayāmāsa sarvadā
Daraufhin zeigte Urvaśī, die nach Belieben Gestalt annehmen kann, dem König immer wieder ihre eigene, überwältigende Erscheinung: mit aufgerichtetem Haar und gelblich-braunen Augen.
Purāṇic narrator (Sūta/Vyāsa tradition) describing events
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shringara
FAQs
Indirectly, it highlights how perception can be shaped by changing appearances; the Kurma Purana’s broader teaching contrasts such mutable forms with the steady, unchanging Self that is not dependent on sensory display.
The verse itself is narrative, but it supports a Yoga-śāstra theme found across the Purana: mastery over the senses (indriya-nigraha) and vigilance toward alluring or frightening appearances that disturb steadiness of mind.
This specific line does not mention Śiva or Viṣṇu directly; it functions as a narrative illustration of māyā-like shifting form, a theme later integrated in the Purana’s Śaiva–Vaiṣṇava synthesis where the Supreme is beyond changing appearances.