Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 20
Jambūdvīpa Varṣas, Bhārata as Karmabhūmi, and the Sacred Hydro-Topography of Dharma
भारते तु स्त्रियः पुंसो नानावर्णाः प्रकीर्तिताः / नानादेवार्चने युक्ता नानाकर्माणि कुर्वते / परमायुः स्मृतं तेषां शतं वर्षाणि सुव्रताः
bhārate tu striyaḥ puṃso nānāvarṇāḥ prakīrtitāḥ / nānādevārcane yuktā nānākarmāṇi kurvate / paramāyuḥ smṛtaṃ teṣāṃ śataṃ varṣāṇi suvratāḥ
But in Bhārata, women and men are spoken of as belonging to many varṇas. Engaged in the worship of various deities, they perform many kinds of duties and works. Their highest human lifespan is remembered as a hundred years, O you of good vows.
Lord Kūrma (Vishnu) speaking to King Indradyumna (dialogue frame of the Purāṇa)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It does not directly define Ātman; instead it frames embodied life in Bhārata—diverse varṇas, diverse worship, and a finite lifespan—setting the stage for later teachings where liberation requires going beyond mere social identity and ritual variety.
No specific yoga technique is taught in this verse. The emphasis is on lived dharma—worship (deva-arcana) and prescribed works—often treated in the Purāṇas as preparatory discipline that can mature into yoga and higher knowledge in later sections.
It does not explicitly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu. Indirectly, by acknowledging “various deities” and their worship, it fits the Kurma Purana’s inclusive devotional landscape that later supports a Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis.