Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 25
Cosmic Night, Nārāyaṇa as Brahmā, and the Varāha Raising of the Earth
पृथिवीं तु समीकृत्य पृथिव्यां सो ऽचिनोद् गिरीन् / प्राक्सर्गदग्धानखिलांस्ततः सर्गे ऽदधन्मनः
pṛthivīṃ tu samīkṛtya pṛthivyāṃ so 'cinod girīn / prāksargadagdhānakhilāṃstataḥ sarge 'dadhanmanaḥ
Having levelled and set the earth in proper order, he then piled up the mountains upon the earth. After that, seeing all things scorched in the pre-creation conflagration, he fixed his mind upon bringing forth creation anew.
Sūta (narrator) conveying the cosmogonic account to the sages
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
Indirectly: the verse portrays a single sovereign intelligence that re-establishes cosmic order after a prior burning—implying an overseeing, unifying principle behind cyclical creation and dissolution rather than random material change.
The wording “he fixed his mind upon creation” (sarge ’dadhān manaḥ) emphasizes concentrated intention (ekāgratā/saṅkalpa), a yogic motif later elaborated in the Kurma Purana’s teachings on disciplined mind, devotion, and Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis.
This particular verse is primarily cosmogonic and does not explicitly name Shiva or Vishnu; however, in the Kurma Purana’s broader synthesis, such creative agency is ultimately attributed to the one Supreme Lord who is praised through both Shaiva and Vaishnava frames.