Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 1
Cosmic Realms Above Dhruva, the Pātālas Below, and the Foundation of Pralaya
Ananta–Kāla
इति श्रीकूर्मपुराणे षट्साहस्त्र्यां संहितायां पूर्वविभागे एकचत्वारिंशो ऽध्यायः सूत उवाच ध्रुवादूर्ध्वं महर्लोकः कोटियोजनविस्तृतः / कल्पाधिकारिणस्तत्र संस्थिता द्विजपुङ्गवाः
iti śrīkūrmapurāṇe ṣaṭsāhastryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ pūrvavibhāge ekacatvāriṃśo 'dhyāyaḥ sūta uvāca dhruvādūrdhvaṃ maharlokaḥ koṭiyojanavistṛtaḥ / kalpādhikāriṇastatra saṃsthitā dvijapuṅgavāḥ
So endet im Śrī Kūrma-Purāṇa, in der Saṃhitā von sechstausend Versen, im Pūrva-bhāga, das einundvierzigste Kapitel. Sūta sprach: Oberhalb von Dhruva liegt Maharloka, ausgedehnt über ein koṭi Yojanas. Dort weilen die erhabensten der zweimal Geborenen, die Rishis, denen die Vollmacht über die Schöpfungszyklen (kalpas) anvertraut ist.
Suta
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
Indirectly: by mapping higher lokas like Maharloka, the verse frames the Purāṇic cosmos as an ordered field of experience within which the Self remains the inner witness; the lokas describe realms of beings, not the ultimate Atman itself.
No specific technique is taught in this verse; it emphasizes the presence of accomplished dvija-sages in Maharloka, implying advanced tapas, dhyāna, and Vedic discipline that qualify beings to function as kalpa-adhikārins.
It does not explicitly discuss Śiva–Viṣṇu unity; it supports the Kurma Purāṇa’s broader synthesis by situating cosmic administration (kalpas, lokas, sages) within a single sacred order that later teachings attribute to the one Supreme Lord in different forms.