Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 43
Prākṛta-pralaya, Pratisarga Doctrine, and the Ishvara-Samanvaya of Yoga and Devotion
एष योगः समुद्दिष्टः सबीजो मुनिसत्तमाः / तस्मात् सर्वान् परित्यज्य देवान् ब्रह्मपुरोगमान् / आराधयेद् विरूपाक्षमादिमध्यान्तसंस्थितम्
eṣa yogaḥ samuddiṣṭaḥ sabījo munisattamāḥ / tasmāt sarvān parityajya devān brahmapurogamān / ārādhayed virūpākṣamādimadhyāntasaṃsthitam
Oh, los mejores de los sabios: así ha sido enseñado este Yoga con semilla (bīja). Por ello, abandonando a todos los demás dioses —incluso a los encabezados por Brahmā— debe adorarse a Virūpākṣa (Śiva), que mora como el Principio, el Medio y el Fin de todo.
Lord Kūrma (Viṣṇu) instructing the sages in the Ishvara-gītā-style teaching of the Upari-bhāga
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: raudra
FAQs
By describing Virūpākṣa as present as the beginning, middle, and end, the verse points to the Supreme as the all-pervading ground of existence—immanent through all states and phases—rather than a limited deity among many.
It emphasizes sabīja-yoga—practice supported by a ‘seed’ (bīja), typically implying mantra-centered, īśvara-oriented discipline—culminating in single-pointed ārādhana (devotional worship) of Śiva as the supreme focus.
With Viṣṇu (as Lord Kūrma) teaching exclusive worship of Śiva (Virūpākṣa), the text advances a synthetic Purāṇic non-sectarianism: the supreme reality is one, taught through the voice of Viṣṇu and worshipped here as Śiva.