Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 13
Madhu–Kaiṭabha, Nārāyaṇa’s Yoga-Nidrā, Rudra’s Manifestation, and the Aṣṭamūrti–Trimūrti Teaching
पुरस्तादसृजद् देवः सनन्दं सनकं तथा / ऋभुं सनत्कुमारं च पुर्वजं तं सनातनम्
purastādasṛjad devaḥ sanandaṃ sanakaṃ tathā / ṛbhuṃ sanatkumāraṃ ca purvajaṃ taṃ sanātanam
In the beginning, the Lord created Sananda and Sanaka, and also Ṛbhu and Sanatkumāra—those primordial, ancient ones, the first-born and everlasting.
Narrator (Purāṇic narrator, traditionally Sūta conveying the account of creation)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
By presenting creation as proceeding from the Deva (Īśvara), the verse implies a conscious, supreme source from which even the primordial sages arise—pointing to the Atman/Īśvara as the foundational reality behind manifested beings.
This verse itself is cosmogonic, but by naming sages like Sanaka and Sanatkumāra—archetypes of renunciation and jñāna-yoga—it signals the Purāṇa’s broader emphasis on knowledge, detachment, and contemplative discipline that culminates in Śiva-Viṣṇu integrated devotion and yogic steadiness.
It frames the supreme Deva as the source of the highest sages, supporting the Kurma Purana’s tendency to treat ultimate lordship as a unified Īśvara principle—harmonizing Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava theological language rather than setting them in opposition.