Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 55
Invocation, Purāṇa Lakṣaṇas, Kurma at the Samudra-manthana, and Indradyumna’s Liberation Teaching
Iśvara-Gītā Prelude
इर्न्द्दयुम्न उवाच का त्वं देविविशालाक्षि विष्णुचिह्नङ्किते शुभे / याथातथ्येन वै भावं तवेदानीं ब्रवीहि मे
irnddayumna uvāca kā tvaṃ deviviśālākṣi viṣṇucihnaṅkite śubhe / yāthātathyena vai bhāvaṃ tavedānīṃ bravīhi me
Indradyumna dit : «Qui es-tu, ô déesse aux grands yeux, bienfaisante et marquée des emblèmes de Viṣṇu ? Dis-le-moi maintenant, en vérité et exactement tel que c’est, l’état réel de ton être».
King Indradyumna
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
This verse does not directly define Ātman; it establishes a dharmic method of inquiry—seeking yāthātathya (truth “as it is”), which is foundational to later Kurma Purana teachings where discernment (viveka) supports realization.
No specific yoga technique is prescribed in this line; however, the insistence on truthful disclosure (yāthātathyena) reflects the preparatory discipline valued in Yoga-śāstra—clarity, sincerity, and right questioning before instruction.
It foregrounds Vaiṣṇava markers (viṣṇu-cihna) within a Purāṇic work known for Shaiva–Vaiṣṇava synthesis, showing that auspiciousness and sacred authority can be expressed through Viṣṇu’s signs even as the text later harmonizes Śiva and Viṣṇu theologically.