Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 32
Prākṛta Sṛṣṭi and Pralaya: From Pradhāna to Brahmāṇḍa; Trimūrti Samanvaya
शब्दः स्पर्शश्च रूपं च रसो गन्धं समाविशन् / तसमात् पञ्चगुणा भूमिः स्थूला भूतेषु शब्द्यते
śabdaḥ sparśaśca rūpaṃ ca raso gandhaṃ samāviśan / tasamāt pañcaguṇā bhūmiḥ sthūlā bhūteṣu śabdyate
Wenn Klang, Berührung, Form, Geschmack und Geruch eintreten, wird daher die Erde (Bhūmi), mit fünf Qualitäten begabt, als das gröbste unter den Elementen bezeichnet.
Suta (narrator) conveying the Purana’s cosmological teaching as taught in the Kurma Purana’s discourse tradition
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
By classifying earth as the grossest element through its five sensory qualities, the verse supports tattva-viveka (discrimination): the Atman is distinct from all guṇas and sensory properties, being the witness beyond the elemental stack.
The verse underpins bhūta-śuddhi and sense-withdrawal (pratyāhāra): recognizing that sensory qualities culminate in earth helps a practitioner reverse attention from gross perception toward subtler principles, aligning with Pashupata-oriented purification and contemplation.
Indirectly, it presents a shared yogic-metaphysical framework (tattva analysis) used across Shaiva and Vaishnava teachings in the Kurma Purana—suggesting unity of doctrine in liberation practice even when devotional forms differ.