Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 23
Lineage of Vyāsas, Division of the Veda, and Vāsudeva/Īśāna as the Veda-Known Supreme
वेदवाक्योदितं तत्त्वं वासुदेवः परं पदम् / वेदवेद्यमिमं वेत्ति वेदं वेदपरो मुनिः
vedavākyoditaṃ tattvaṃ vāsudevaḥ paraṃ padam / vedavedyamimaṃ vetti vedaṃ vedaparo muniḥ
The reality proclaimed by the Vedic utterances is this: Vāsudeva is the supreme state, the highest abode. The sage devoted to the Veda truly knows this Veda-taught truth—Vāsudeva, the One to be known through the Veda.
Narratorial/teacher voice within the Purva-bhaga (instructional passage praising Vedic realization of Vasudeva)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
It identifies the Veda-proclaimed ultimate reality with Vāsudeva as the highest goal, implying that true Self-realization culminates in knowing the Supreme Lord as the final purport of Vedic wisdom.
The verse foregrounds śruti-based jñāna (Veda-centered contemplative inquiry) supported by devotion to Vedic discipline—an approach that, in the Kurma Purana’s broader synthesis, aligns knowledge with steady worship and inner absorption toward the Supreme.
While Shiva is not named here, the Kurma Purana’s integrative stance frames the Supreme as one reality approached through Vedic truth; this verse emphasizes that unity by declaring the Veda’s highest purport as the Supreme (here named Vāsudeva).