Shloka 4
Invocation, Purāṇa Lakṣaṇas, Kurma at the Samudra-manthana, and Indradyumna’s Liberation Teaching
Iśvara-Gītā Prelude
तस्य ते सर्वरोमाणि वचसा हृषितानि यत् / द्वैपायनस्य भगवांस्ततो वै रोमहर्षणः
tasya te sarvaromāṇi vacasā hṛṣitāni yat / dvaipāyanasya bhagavāṃstato vai romaharṣaṇaḥ
Parce que tous les poils de son corps se hérissèrent de joie à ces paroles, le bienheureux Dvaipāyana (Vyāsa) lui donna dès lors le nom de Romaharṣaṇa, « celui dont les poils se dressent ».
Suta (Romaharshana) as narrator in the Purana’s opening frame
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
Indirectly: it highlights sāttvika bhāva—spiritual joy and reverence arising from sacred teaching—preparing the listener for later Atman/Ishvara doctrines, though no explicit Atman definition is given here.
No formal yoga practice is taught in this verse; it emphasizes the inner sign of devotional receptivity (romaharṣa), a traditional marker of deep absorption that supports later Kurma Purana teachings on disciplined yoga and devotion.
It does not address Shiva–Vishnu unity directly; it establishes the authority-chain of the Purana through Vyāsa and the Sūta, which later carries the text’s Shaiva–Vaishnava harmonizing theology.