Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 12
Cosmic Night, Nārāyaṇa as Brahmā, and the Varāha Raising of the Earth
नमः स्वयंभुवे तुभ्यं स्त्रष्ट्रे सर्वार्थवेदिने / नमो हिरण्यगर्भाय वेधसे परमात्मने
namaḥ svayaṃbhuve tubhyaṃ straṣṭre sarvārthavedine / namo hiraṇyagarbhāya vedhase paramātmane
Ehrerbietung Dir, dem Selbstgeborenen (Svayambhu), dem Schöpfer, dem Allwissenden, der jedes Ziel und jeden Sinn kennt. Ehrerbietung Hiraṇyagarbha; Ehrerbietung Vedhas, dem Ordner; Ehrerbietung dem Paramātman, dem höchsten Selbst.
A devotee/narrator offering a stuti (hymn) to Brahmā within the Purāṇic narration
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
By calling the cosmic creator “Paramātman,” the verse points beyond the personal creator-form to the Supreme Self that underlies and empowers creation—suggesting a single ultimate reality expressed through cosmic functions.
This verse functions as a stuti used for bhakti-based concentration (smaraṇa and dhyāna): repeating divine epithets like Svayaṃbhū and Paramātman steadies the mind on the cosmic principle behind creation, a supportive foundation for later Pāśupata-style discipline and contemplation.
Though addressed to the creator (Brahmā), the use of the title “Paramātman” aligns with the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian tendency: the highest reality is one, while deities represent its roles—supporting a Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis rather than rivalry.