Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 8
The True Liṅga as Formless Brahman — Self-Luminous Īśa and the Yoga of Liberation
ये पुनः परमं तत्त्वमेकं वानेकमीश्वरम् / भक्त्या मां संप्रपश्यन्ति विज्ञेयास्ते तदात्मकाः
ye punaḥ paramaṃ tattvamekaṃ vānekamīśvaram / bhaktyā māṃ saṃprapaśyanti vijñeyāste tadātmakāḥ
But those who, through devotion, clearly behold Me as the Supreme Reality—whether as the one Lord or as the Lord manifest in many forms—should be known as having their very self grounded in That.
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) teaching in the Ishvara Gita
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: shringara
FAQs
It equates true realization with becoming “tad-ātmaka”—one’s identity established in the Supreme Reality—attained by directly beholding the Lord as the highest tattva, whether conceived as one or as many manifestations.
The verse foregrounds Bhakti Yoga as a means of pratyakṣa-like inner vision (saṃprapaśyanti): sustained devotion that culminates in direct apprehension of Ishvara beyond rigid one-versus-many conceptuality, aligning with the Ishvara Gita’s integrative yogic theism.
By affirming one Supreme Lord who can be realized as one reality or many forms, it supports the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis: the same Ishvara may be approached through different divine names and manifestations (often read as harmonizing Shaiva and Vaishnava viewpoints).