Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 49
Prākṛta Sṛṣṭi and Pralaya: From Pradhāna to Brahmāṇḍa; Trimūrti Samanvaya
हिरण्यगर्भो भगवान् ब्रह्मा वै कनकाण्डजः / तृतीयं भगवद्रूपं प्राहुर्वेदार्थवेदिनः
hiraṇyagarbho bhagavān brahmā vai kanakāṇḍajaḥ / tṛtīyaṃ bhagavadrūpaṃ prāhurvedārthavedinaḥ
Hiraṇyagarbha—indeed Brahmā, the Blessed Lord born from the golden egg—is proclaimed by those who know the true purport of the Vedas to be the third manifestation of Bhagavān.
Narrator/Sūta-like purāṇic voice (teaching the doctrine of divine manifestations)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It presents creation as a manifestation of Bhagavān: even Brahmā (Hiraṇyagarbha) is not independent but a divine form arising from the Supreme, implying the Self behind the cosmos is one governing reality.
No direct technique is taught in this verse; it supplies the contemplative basis for Yoga—meditating on Īśvara as the source of Hiraṇyagarbha and the cosmic order, a foundation later aligned with Pāśupata-oriented devotion and discipline in the Kurma Purana.
By grounding Brahmā’s creative power in Bhagavān, the verse supports the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis: the supreme Īśvara (understood through both Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava lenses) manifests the creator and sustains cosmic functions without contradiction.