Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 71
Dakṣa’s Progeny, Nṛsiṃha–Varāha Avatāras, and Andhaka’s Defeat
Hari–Hara–Śakti Synthesis
ततः संहृत्य तद्रूपं हरिर्नारायणः प्रभुः / स्वमेव परमं रूपं ययौ नारायणाह्वयम्
tataḥ saṃhṛtya tadrūpaṃ harirnārāyaṇaḥ prabhuḥ / svameva paramaṃ rūpaṃ yayau nārāyaṇāhvayam
Then Lord Hari—Nārāyaṇa, the Sovereign—having withdrawn that assumed form, returned to His own supreme form, truly known as Nārāyaṇa.
Sūta (narrator) recounting the Purāṇic narrative
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It presents the Supreme as capable of manifesting a form for a purpose and then reabsorbing it, abiding in His own “parama-rūpa”—a transcendent identity beyond temporary appearances.
The verse implies the yogic principle of saṃhāra (withdrawal): turning back from outward manifestation to the supreme ground—akin to pratyāhāra and samādhi in Yoga-śāstra, where multiplicity is gathered into the One.
By stressing the Supreme Lord’s transcendence and sovereign freedom to assume and withdraw forms, it supports the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis: the highest reality is one, approached through Śaiva or Vaiṣṇava names and modes without contradiction.