Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 15
Iśvara on Māyā, the Unmanifest, and the Viśvarūpa of the One Supreme
तदव्ययं कलिलं गूढदेहं ब्रह्मानन्दममृतं विश्वधाम / वदन्त्येवं ब्राह्मणा ब्रह्मनिष्ठा यत्र गत्वा न निवर्तेत भूयः
tadavyayaṃ kalilaṃ gūḍhadehaṃ brahmānandamamṛtaṃ viśvadhāma / vadantyevaṃ brāhmaṇā brahmaniṣṭhā yatra gatvā na nivarteta bhūyaḥ
Brahman is indeed that imperishable Reality—subtle and hard to discern, hidden within embodied existence—pure bliss of Brahman, deathless, the universal abode. Thus do the Brahman-abiding sages declare it: having reached That, one does not return again.
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing in the Ishvara Gita context
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
It describes the Supreme as imperishable and immortal, the bliss of Brahman, subtly hidden within embodied existence, and as the very support/abode of the universe—indicating the Atman-Brahman reality as the ultimate ground of all.
The verse emphasizes the fruition of Brahman-realization taught in the Ishvara Gita—steady contemplative establishment (brahma-niṣṭhā) culminating in direct attainment of Brahman, the state from which there is no return to saṃsāra.
While not naming Shiva explicitly, it aligns with the Kurma Purana’s synthesis: the supreme goal is Brahman itself—one, deathless, and all-supporting—beyond sectarian distinction, the same ultimate Reality taught through both Shaiva (Pashupata) and Vaishnava idioms.