Deity

Kurma

कूर्मKūrma

verses
925
books
20
chapters
300
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Vishnu
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Dashavatara

What the texts say

In the Kurma Purana, Kurma (Kūrma) is honoured as Vishnu, the God of gods, who has assumed the form of the Tortoise. Kurma Purana 1.51.35 The Bhagavata Purana tells how Kurma served as a resting place for Mount Mandara, the rod with which the gods and demons churned the Ocean of Milk for nectar. Bhagavatam 2.7.13 There, the mountain scratches his back, and the ocean tides are said to imitate his breathing ever since. Bhagavatam 12.13.2 The Kurma Purana also says that after the world dissolves, the earth appears resting upon the back of the Tortoise. Kurma Purana 2.43.23 That Purana is spoken by Kurma himself, who tells the sages what he once told King Indradyumna. Kurma Purana 1.2.1 The Garuda Purana lists Kurma among ten names, from Matsya to Kalki, that the wise should always remember. Garuda Purana 2.30.37

Where to read

Every verse that names Kurma, book by book.

  1. Kurma Purana

    597 verses · 79 chapters

    All 597 verses in the Kurma Purana
    • 1.11.1

      Thus, in the Śrī Kūrma Purāṇa, in the six-thousand-verse Saṃhitā, in the Pūrva-bhāga—(here begins) the chapter. Lord Kūrma said: Having thus created Parīci and the other sages, the Grandfather Brahmā, the God of gods, together with his…

    • 1.2.1

      Thus, in the Śrī Kūrma Purāṇa, in the six-thousand-verse compendium, in the First Division, the First Chapter concludes. Śrī Kūrma said: “Listen, all you sages, to what you have asked of me for the welfare of the world. I shall declare…

    • 1.1.99

      Śrī Kūrma said: Thus addressed by him, desiring to bestow grace upon my devotee, I then explained—properly and in full—everything, O foremost of sages.

  2. Skanda Purana

    118 verses · 49 chapters

    All 118 verses in the Skanda Purana
    • 6.1.271.311

      Kūrma said: “There is a Brahmin-sage named Lomaśa—older than I. It is said (and I have seen) that he dwells taking refuge on a riverbank.”

    • 1.2.10.40

      Kūrma said: O King, listen to this divine narrative—by the very act of hearing it, sins are destroyed. This account is exceedingly sweet, and it is filled with the greatness (māhātmya) of Śiva.

    • 1.2.11.1

      Kūrma said: Formerly I was a twice-born brāhmaṇa, renowned by the name Śāṇḍilya. O King, in my childhood—while playing—I fashioned (something) with my own hands.

  3. Padma Purana

    42 verses · 34 chapters

    All 42 verses in the Padma Purana
    • 6.253.17

      Likewise at Aindradyumna and at Kūrma, on Siṃhādri and at Karavīraka; in Kāśī, at Prayāga, at Saumya, and also on the Śālagrāma mountain—(there the sacred merit is obtained).

    • 1.3.29

      Then, recognizing (the need for) Viṣṇu’s form, in order to lift up the Earth by his own divine power, he entered another body—the boar-form—(as he had earlier taken forms) such as the Fish and the Tortoise.

    • 1.4.43

      In the midst of the forces of the gods and the Dānavas, and within the Ocean of Milk, the Blessed Lord—Hari Himself—stood established in the form of the Tortoise (Kūrma).

  4. Agni Purana

    26 verses · 22 chapters

    All 26 verses in the Agni Purana
    • 1.1.14

      Assuming the forms of Matsya, Kūrma, and the other incarnations, (the Lord) proclaims the topics of creation, re-creation, genealogies, the Manvantaras, and the accounts of dynasties and their deeds.

    • 1.2.17

      Keśava protected the Vedas, beginning with (the episode of) the Fish (incarnation). Then, when the Varāha-kalpa arrived, Hari assumed the form of the Tortoise.

    • 1.3.1

      Now begins the third chapter: “The Description of the Kūrma (Tortoise) Incarnation.” Agni said: “I shall recount the Kūrma incarnation—hearing which brings the destruction of sins. Formerly, in the war between the gods and the asuras, the…

Also named in

Key chapters

The chapters where Kurma matters most.

  1. Devī-tattva, Śakti-Śaktimān doctrine, Kāla-Māyā cosmology, and Māheśvara Yoga instruction

    Kurma Purana 1.11 · 68 verses

  2. Cosmic Manifestation, Mahāmāyā’s Mandate, Varṇāśrama-Dharma, and the Unity of the Trimūrti

    Kurma Purana 1.2 · 23 verses

  3. Invocation, Purāṇa Lakṣaṇas, Kurma at the Samudra-manthana, and Indradyumna’s Liberation Teaching (Iśvara-Gītā Prelude)

    Kurma Purana 1.1 · 22 verses

  4. Liṅgasaptaka-pratiṣṭhā and Indradyumna’s Fame: The Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Narrative (लिङ्गसप्तक-माहात्म्यं तथा इन्द्रद्युम्न-कीर्तिः)

    Skanda Purana 6.1.271 · 17 verses

  5. Dialogue of Indradyumna and the Tortoise Mantharaka

    Skanda Purana 1.2.10 · 16 verses

  6. Prākṛta-pralaya, Pratisarga Doctrine, and the Ishvara-Samanvaya of Yoga and Devotion

    Kurma Purana 2.44 · 11 verses

  7. Varnāśrama-Krama, Vairāgya as the Ground of Saṃnyāsa, and Brahmārpaṇa Karma-yoga

    Kurma Purana 1.3 · 9 verses

  8. Brahmā’s Lotus-Birth, the Sealing of the Cosmic Womb, and the Epiphany of Parameśvara (Hari-Hara Samanvaya)

    Kurma Purana 1.9 · 9 verses

  9. Madhu-Kaiṭabha, Nārāyaṇa’s Yoga-Nidrā, Rudra’s Manifestation, and the Aṣṭamūrti-Trimūrti Teaching

    Kurma Purana 1.10 · 8 verses

  10. Naimittika-pralaya and the Theology of Kāla: Seven Suns, Saṃvartaka Fire, Flood, and Varāha Kalpa

    Kurma Purana 2.43 · 8 verses

Key episodes

  1. The Churning of the Ocean (Samudra Manthan)

    Bhagavatam 8.5-8.10

Also known to Wikipedia · Wikidata Q476808