Shloka 31
Prākṛta Sṛṣṭi and Pralaya: From Pradhāna to Brahmāṇḍa; Trimūrti Samanvaya
शब्द स्पर्शश्च रूपं च रसमात्रं समाविशन् / तस्माच्चतुर्गुणा आपो विज्ञेयास्तु रसात्मिकाः
śabda sparśaśca rūpaṃ ca rasamātraṃ samāviśan / tasmāccaturguṇā āpo vijñeyāstu rasātmikāḥ
Al integrarse el sonido, el tacto, la forma y el tanmātra del sabor (rasa), de ello nacen las aguas (Āpas), que deben entenderse como dotadas de cuatro cualidades y teniendo el sabor por esencia.
Sūta (narrating the Purāṇic teaching as received from the sages, within the creation-tattva discourse)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
By describing how subtle principles (tanmātras) combine into gross elements, the verse implies that the Self is distinct from these changing guṇas and elemental composites—Atman is the witness of prakṛti’s evolutes rather than their product.
This verse supports tattva-viveka (discriminative contemplation): a yogin analyzes sense-qualities (sound, touch, form, taste) as evolutes of prakṛti, loosening identification with the body-elements—an approach aligned with Kurma Purana’s Pāśupata-leaning discipline of detachment and inner discernment.
While not naming them directly, the shared cosmological framework used across Shaiva and Vaishnava teachings functions as a unifying ground: the same tattva-doctrine is presented as valid in the Kurma Purana’s synthesis, supporting non-sectarian (abheda) reading of divine instruction.