Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 53
Sapta-dvīpa Cosmography and the Vision of Śvetadvīpa–Vaikuṇṭha
पताकाभिर्विचित्राभिरनेकाभिश्च शोभितम् / वीथीभिः सर्वतो युक्तं सोपानै रत्नभूषितैः
patākābhirvicitrābhiranekābhiśca śobhitam / vīthībhiḥ sarvato yuktaṃ sopānai ratnabhūṣitaiḥ
Adorned with many varied and colorful banners, it was furnished on every side with galleries and walkways, and with stairways embellished with jewels.
Sūta (narrator) describing the scene (architectural/royal description within the Purāṇic narrative frame)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shringara
FAQs
This verse is descriptive rather than metaphysical: it portrays an outward splendor (banners, walkways, jewel-stairs) and thus functions as narrative setting, not a direct teaching on Ātman.
No explicit Yoga practice is taught in this verse; it supports the Purāṇic scene-building that often precedes dharma or yoga instruction elsewhere (notably the Upari-bhāga’s Īśvara-gītā).
It does not directly address Śiva–Viṣṇu unity; it is a scenic description. The Kurma Purāṇa’s synthesis appears more explicitly in doctrinal sections, not in this architectural verse.