Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 20
Lineage of Vyāsas, Division of the Veda, and Vāsudeva/Īśāna as the Veda-Known Supreme
भेदैरष्टादशैर्व्यासः पुराणं कृतवान् प्रभुः / सो ऽयमेकश्चतुष्पादो वेदः पूर्वं पुरातनात्
bhedairaṣṭādaśairvyāsaḥ purāṇaṃ kṛtavān prabhuḥ / so 'yamekaścatuṣpādo vedaḥ pūrvaṃ purātanāt
Durch achtzehn Einteilungen verfasste der ehrwürdige Vyāsa das Purāṇa. Diese Lehre war einst ein einziger Veda mit vier „Füßen“, überliefert aus urältester Vorzeit.
Sūta (traditional narrator) describing Vyāsa’s arrangement of Veda and Purāṇa within the Purāṇic transmission
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
Indirectly: it emphasizes the continuity of sacred knowledge—from the ancient one Veda to later organized Purāṇic teaching—implying that liberating truth (including knowledge of Self) is preserved through authoritative transmission.
No specific practice is taught in this verse; it establishes scriptural pedigree. In the Kurma Purana, such authority undergirds later disciplines (e.g., Pāśupata-oriented devotion, jñāna, and yoga) by rooting them in the Vedic stream.
Not explicitly. Its focus is on shared scriptural origin and organization, a framework the Kurma Purana later uses to harmonize sectarian teachings—presenting Shaiva and Vaishnava paths as grounded in one ancient sacred knowledge.