Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 56
Viṣṇu at Upamanyu’s Āśrama: Pāśupata Tapas, Darśana of Śiva, and Boons from Devī
तदान्वपश्यद् गिरिशस्य वामे स्वात्मानमव्यक्तमनन्तरूपम् / स्तुवन्तमीशं बहुभिर्वचोभिः शङ्खासिचक्रार्पितहस्तमाद्यम्
tadānvapaśyad giriśasya vāme svātmānamavyaktamanantarūpam / stuvantamīśaṃ bahubhirvacobhiḥ śaṅkhāsicakrārpitahastamādyam
Then he beheld, on the left side of Girīśa (Śiva), his own Self—the Unmanifest, of infinite forms—praising the Lord with many utterances: the primordial One whose hands bore the conch, sword, and discus.
Narrator (Purāṇic narrator describing a visionary theophany; Shaiva–Vaishnava non-dual framing)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It identifies the highest Self as avyakta (unmanifest) yet anantarūpa (capable of infinite manifestations), indicating a transcendent reality that also appears through divine forms.
The verse emphasizes darśana (direct inner vision) and stuti (focused praise) as contemplative disciplines—devotional concentration that culminates in perceiving Īśvara beyond form while recognizing His manifested symbols.
By placing the Unmanifest Self on Śiva’s left side while bearing Vaiṣṇava emblems (conch and discus), it presents a synthetic, non-sectarian teaching: one Īśvara appearing through Śiva–Viṣṇu unity.