Shloka 23
Īśvara-gītā: Vibhūtis of the Supreme Lord and the Paśu–Paśupati Doctrine of Bondage and Release
श्रोत्रं त्वक्चक्षुषी जिह्वा घ्राणं चैव तु पञ्चमम् / पायूपस्थं करौ पादौ वाक् चैव दशमी मता
śrotraṃ tvakcakṣuṣī jihvā ghrāṇaṃ caiva tu pañcamam / pāyūpasthaṃ karau pādau vāk caiva daśamī matā
Ohr, Haut, die beiden Augen, Zunge und Nase—dies sind die fünf Wahrnehmungsorgane. After und Geschlechtsorgan, Hände und Füße sowie die Rede—gelten als das zehnte; so werden die zehn Vermögen gelehrt.
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) teaching in the Ishvara Gita context
Primary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
By listing the sense and action faculties as knowable instruments, the verse implicitly distinguishes them from the Atman/Ishvara, who is the witness and controller beyond the indriyas—an essential step in Ishvara Gita-style discernment (viveka).
It supports pratyāhāra and indriya-nigraha (withdrawal and restraint of the senses): knowing the ten indriyas as faculties to be governed helps the sādhaka align action and perception toward Ishvara, a recurring emphasis in Kurma Purana’s Pashupata-oriented discipline.
Though not naming Shiva directly, the Ishvara Gita framework commonly treats Ishvara as the supreme Lord accessible through Yoga; in the Kurma Purana’s synthesis, this Yogic lordship is shared in spirit across Shaiva and Vaishnava idioms—sense-control and devotion lead to the same Supreme.