Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 19
Cosmic Realms Above Dhruva, the Pātālas Below, and the Foundation of Pralaya
Ananta–Kāla
सुपर्णेन मुनिश्रेष्ठास्तथा वासुकिना शुभम् / रसातलमिति ख्यातं तथान्यैश्च निषेवितम्
suparṇena muniśreṣṭhāstathā vāsukinā śubham / rasātalamiti khyātaṃ tathānyaiśca niṣevitam
O ihr besten der Weisen, jenes glückverheißende Reich, bekannt als Rasātala, wurde von Suparṇa (Garuḍa) wie auch von Vāsuki aufgesucht, und ebenso von vielen anderen besucht.
Narrator (Purāṇic sage describing cosmic geography to assembled sages)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
This verse is primarily cosmographical, naming Rasātala and its renowned visitors; it does not directly teach Ātman-doctrine, but supports the Purāṇic view of an ordered cosmos within which dharma and spiritual instruction unfold.
No explicit yoga practice is taught in this line; its function is to situate the listener in Purāṇic geography, a common prelude to later dharma-yoga teachings (including Pāśupata-oriented instruction elsewhere in the Kūrma Purāṇa).
The verse does not mention Śiva or Viṣṇu directly; indirectly, it reflects the shared Purāṇic cosmology accepted across Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava strands, within which later syntheses (Śiva–Viṣṇu unity themes) are articulated.