Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 50
Adhyāya 25 — Liṅga-māhātmya (The Chapter on the Liṅga): Hari’s Śiva-Worship and the Fiery Pillar Theophany
कृत्वात्मयोगं विप्रेन्द्रा मार्कण्डेयेन चाच्युतः / कथाः पौराणिकीः पुण्याश्चक्रे पुत्रादिभिर्वृतः
kṛtvātmayogaṃ viprendrā mārkaṇḍeyena cācyutaḥ / kathāḥ paurāṇikīḥ puṇyāścakre putrādibhirvṛtaḥ
O best of brāhmaṇas, after establishing the Yoga of the Self together with Mārkaṇḍeya, Acyuta, the Imperishable Lord, expounded holy Purāṇic narratives, surrounded by his sons and other attendants.
Sūta (Purāṇic narrator) describing Acyuta’s discourse within the Kurma Purana narrative frame
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
By foregrounding ātma-yoga, the verse implies that sacred narration (purāṇic kathā) is grounded in inner realization—Self-union precedes and authorizes spiritual teaching.
It points to ātma-yoga—an inward discipline of integrating mind and Self—presented as the preparatory basis for transmitting Purāṇic wisdom in the Kurma Purana’s yoga-oriented framework.
While naming Acyuta (a Viṣṇu epithet), the emphasis on yoga and purāṇic instruction aligns with the Kurma Purana’s synthesis: the same supreme reality teaches through multiple theological idioms, supporting Shaiva–Vaishnava unity.