Shloka 31
Nine Creations (Sarga), Guṇa-Streams of Beings, and Brahmā’s Progeny in Cyclic Time
अपो ऽग्निरन्तरिक्षं च द्यौर्वायुः पृथिवी तथा / नद्यः समुद्राः शैलाश्च वृक्षा वीरुध एव च
apo 'gnirantarikṣaṃ ca dyaurvāyuḥ pṛthivī tathā / nadyaḥ samudrāḥ śailāśca vṛkṣā vīrudha eva ca
Agua, fuego, el espacio intermedio (atmósfera), el cielo, el viento y también la tierra; ríos y océanos, montañas, árboles, y asimismo enredaderas y hierbas—todo ello está comprendido en el orden manifestado de la creación.
Sūta (narrating to the sages), within the Purāṇic discourse on creation and the manifested cosmos
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
By cataloguing the visible constituents of the cosmos—elements and landscapes—the verse implies that the manifest world is a field of effects; the Atman/Ishvara is understood as the underlying reality that pervades and supports these categories without being limited to any one of them.
No specific technique is prescribed in this line; instead it provides a contemplative inventory for tattva-vicāra (inquiry into principles). Such enumeration supports yogic discernment (viveka) by distinguishing the seen (bhūtas and forms) from the seer, a foundation later aligned with Pāśupata-oriented devotion and inner detachment in the Kurma Purana’s broader teaching.
While Śiva and Viṣṇu are not named here, the Kurma Purana’s synthesis frames the same supreme Lord as immanent in all elements and beings; this verse fits that non-sectarian vision by treating the entire created order as pervaded by one divine principle revered in both Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava modes.