Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 37
Īśvara-gītā (Adhyāya 2) — Ātma-svarūpa, Māyā, and the Unity of Sāṅkhya–Yoga
यथा नदीनदा लोके सागरेणैकतां ययुः / तद्वदात्माक्षरेणासौ निष्कलेनैकतां व्रजेत्
yathā nadīnadā loke sāgareṇaikatāṃ yayuḥ / tadvadātmākṣareṇāsau niṣkalenaikatāṃ vrajet
Just as rivers and streams in this world merge into oneness with the ocean, so should the embodied self attain oneness with the Imperishable Self (Akṣara-Ātman), partless and without division.
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing King Indradyumna (Ishvara Gita context)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It presents the Supreme as Akshara—imperishable and niṣkala (partless)—and teaches that liberation is the jiva’s merging into that undivided Reality, like rivers into the ocean.
The verse points to contemplative absorption (dhyāna leading to samādhi) on the Akshara, the partless Self—an Ishvara-Gita style instruction aligned with Pashupata-oriented renunciation of separateness and steady one-pointed meditation on the Supreme.
By emphasizing niṣkala Akshara as the single, undivided goal of realization, it supports the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis: the highest Reality taught through Vishnu (Kurma) is the same Supreme principle revered in Shaiva traditions as the transcendent Lord.