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Shloka 1

Nine Creations (Sarga), Guṇa-Streams of Beings, and Brahmā’s Progeny in Cyclic Time

इति श्रीकूर्मपुराणे षटसाहस्त्र्यां संहितायां पूर्वविभागे षष्ठो ऽध्यायः श्रीकूर्म उवाच सृष्टिं चिन्तयतस्तस्य कल्पादिषु यथा पुरा / अबुद्धिपूर्वकः सर्गः प्रादुर्भूतस्तमोमयः

iti śrīkūrmapurāṇe ṣaṭasāhastryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ pūrvavibhāge ṣaṣṭho 'dhyāyaḥ śrīkūrma uvāca sṛṣṭiṃ cintayatastasya kalpādiṣu yathā purā / abuddhipūrvakaḥ sargaḥ prādurbhūtastamomayaḥ

Así, en el Śrī Kūrma Purāṇa, en la Ṣaṭsāhasrī Saṃhitā, en la sección Pūrva-bhāga, concluye el capítulo sexto. Dijo Śrī Kūrma: Cuando Él meditó la creación—como antaño, al inicio de los kalpas—surgió primero una creación sin la luz del discernimiento, hecha de tamas (oscuridad y velamiento).

itithus
iti:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/quotative marker)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootiti (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; quotation/closure particle (इति-प्रयोगः)
śrī-kūrma-purāṇein the Śrī Kūrma Purāṇa
śrī-kūrma-purāṇe:
Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootśrī + kūrma + purāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; locative of text-title
ṣaṭ-sāhastryāmin the six-thousand (verses) [collection]
ṣaṭ-sāhastryām:
Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootṣaṭ + sāhastrī (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; numeral compound qualifying saṃhitā
saṃhitāyāmin the Saṃhitā
saṃhitāyām:
Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootsaṃhitā (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन
pūrva-vibhāgein the former section
pūrva-vibhāge:
Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootpūrva + vibhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन
ṣaṣṭhaḥsixth
ṣaṣṭhaḥ:
Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootṣaṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ordinal adjective
adhyāyaḥchapter
adhyāyaḥ:
Karta (कर्ता/subject)
TypeNoun
Rootadhyāya (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन
śrī-kūrmaḥŚrī Kūrma
śrī-kūrmaḥ:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootśrī + kūrma (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; speaker name/title
uvācasaid
uvāca:
Kriyā (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootvac (धातु)
Formलिट् (Perfect/लिट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद
sṛṣṭimcreation
sṛṣṭim:
Karma (कर्म/object)
TypeNoun
Rootsṛṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन
cintayataḥof (him) thinking/pondering
cintayataḥ:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/genitive qualifier)
TypeVerb
Rootcintay (धातु)
Formवर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (present active participle), षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; ‘of (him) who is thinking’
tasyaof him
tasya:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Roottad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; pronoun
kalpa-ādiṣuin the kalpas and so on
kalpa-ādiṣu:
Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootkalpa + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचन; ‘in kalpas etc.’
yathāas
yathā:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootyathā (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; comparative/conjunctive adverb
purāformerly
purā:
Kāla-adhikaraṇa (काल-अधिकरण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootpurā (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; temporal adverb
a-buddhi-pūrvakaḥpreceded by non-intelligence; unintentional
a-buddhi-pūrvakaḥ:
Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Roota + buddhi + pūrvaka (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; negative prefix a-; qualifying sargaḥ
sargaḥemanation/creation
sargaḥ:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootsarga (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन
prādurbhūtaḥmanifested
prādurbhūtaḥ:
Kriyā (क्रिया/predicative)
TypeVerb
Rootprādur + bhū (धातु)
Formक्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘having manifested’
tamo-mayaḥconsisting of darkness
tamo-mayaḥ:
Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Roottamas + maya (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘made of darkness’ qualifying sargaḥ

Lord Kurma (Vishnu)

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

K
Kurma
K
kalpa
T
tamas

FAQs

It presents the Lord as the conscious principle who “contemplates” creation, implying a transcendent awareness prior to manifestation; the first emanation is described as tamasic and non-discriminative, showing that clarity (buddhi) is not primary but unfolds later.

No specific practice is prescribed in this verse; however, the motif of the Lord’s “contemplation” (cintana) aligns with Purāṇic yoga language where disciplined contemplation and discernment (buddhi-viveka) are the antidotes to tamas—an important foundation for later Kurma Purana teachings on yoga and dharma.

Directly it names Kūrma (Vishnu) as the teacher of cosmology; within the Kurma Purana’s broader synthesis, this same cosmic doctrine is compatible with Shaiva-Pashupata frameworks (guṇas, sarga, and liberation through discernment), supporting a shared metaphysical ground rather than sectarian opposition.