Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 43
Invocation, Purāṇa Lakṣaṇas, Kurma at the Samudra-manthana, and Indradyumna’s Liberation Teaching
Iśvara-Gītā Prelude
पूर्वजन्मनि राजासावधृष्यः शङ्करादिभिः / दृष्ट्वा मां कूर्मसंस्थानं श्रुत्वा पौराणिकीं स्वयम् / संहितां मन्मुखाद् दिव्यां पुरस्कृत्य मुनीश्वरान्
pūrvajanmani rājāsāvadhṛṣyaḥ śaṅkarādibhiḥ / dṛṣṭvā māṃ kūrmasaṃsthānaṃ śrutvā paurāṇikīṃ svayam / saṃhitāṃ manmukhād divyāṃ puraskṛtya munīśvarān
Dans une naissance antérieure, ce roi—invincible même pour Śaṅkara et les autres dieux—me vit sous la forme de Kūrma, la Tortue; et, ayant lui-même entendu de ma propre bouche la Saṃhitā purānique, divine compilation, il honora les seigneurs des sages et les plaça au premier rang.
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) narrating to the sages
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
By presenting the teaching as a “divine saṃhitā” spoken directly from the Lord’s mouth, the verse emphasizes revelation as a direct manifestation of the Supreme—where the Lord’s form (Kurma) and the Lord’s word (Purāṇic teaching) function as a single, authoritative disclosure of the highest reality.
This verse does not list techniques, but it frames the foundational discipline for Yoga in the Kurma Purana: śravaṇa (reverent hearing) of an authorized teaching and sevā/veneration of realized sages—both prerequisites repeatedly assumed in the Purāṇic path that later supports Pāśupata-oriented sādhanā and Ishvara-centered contemplation.
By stating the king was “invincible even to Śaṅkara and the others” while also receiving the divine teaching from the Kurma-form of Vishnu, the verse places Śiva and Vishnu within a shared sacral universe—supporting the Kurma Purana’s characteristic synthesis where divine authority is not framed as sectarian rivalry but as mutually affirmed supremacy.