Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 11
Yati-Āśrama: Bhikṣā-vidhi, Īśvara-dhyāna, and Prāyaścitta
Mahādeva as Non-dual Brahman
कृत्वा हृत्पद्मनिलये विश्वाख्यं विश्वसंभवम् / आत्मानं सर्वभूतानां परस्तात् तमसः स्थितम्
kṛtvā hṛtpadmanilaye viśvākhyaṃ viśvasaṃbhavam / ātmānaṃ sarvabhūtānāṃ parastāt tamasaḥ sthitam
Habiendo establecido en el loto del corazón al Sí mismo—llamado «el Todo» y fuente de donde surge el universo—debe contemplarse a ese Sí mismo supremo de todos los seres, que mora más allá de la oscuridad del tamas.
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing on yogic contemplation
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It presents the Atman as the inner Self of all beings, identified as the universal principle and the very source of cosmic manifestation, yet transcendent—standing beyond tamas (ignorance and obscuration).
It points to heart-centered dhyāna: establishing awareness in the hṛtpadma (heart-lotus) and contemplating the Self as the universal cause, while recognizing it as beyond the guṇa of tamas—an inward, purifying contemplation aligned with Pāśupata-oriented discipline.
By teaching a single Supreme Self who is both the immanent source of the universe and transcendent beyond tamas, the verse supports the Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis where the highest reality taught by Vishnu (Kurma) is the same supreme principle revered in Shaiva contemplative frameworks.