Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 44
Prākṛta Sṛṣṭi and Pralaya: From Pradhāna to Brahmāṇḍa; Trimūrti Samanvaya
भूतादिर्महता तद्वदव्यक्तेनावृतो महान् / एते लोका महात्मनः सर्वतत्त्वाभिमानिनः
bhūtādirmahatā tadvadavyaktenāvṛto mahān / ete lokā mahātmanaḥ sarvatattvābhimāninaḥ
Oh magnánimo: el principio que comienza con los elementos (bhūta) queda abarcado por Mahat; y del mismo modo Mahat está velado por lo Inmanifestado (Avyakta). Estos mundos, oh gran alma, están penetrados por la identificación con todos los tattva, los principios del cosmos.
Narrator/Sage teaching cosmology (Purāṇic-Sāṃkhya exposition within the Kurma Purana’s discourse framework)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
By showing that worlds and experiences are layered within tattvas (elements → Mahat → Avyakta), the verse implies that the Self is distinct from these coverings; realization requires seeing all such categories as non-Self (ātma-viveka).
It supports tattva-viveka (discernment of principles) used in meditative withdrawal: one observes identification (abhimāna) with body, mind (Mahat), and causal nature (Avyakta), then releases it—an inner discipline aligned with Purāṇic Yoga and later Pāśupata-oriented renunciation of limited identities.
Indirectly, through shared metaphysical language: both Shaiva and Vaishnava teachings in the Kurma Purana employ the same tattva-framework, pointing beyond sectarian forms to the one transcendent reality that is prior to Mahat and Avyakta.