Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 15
Madhu–Kaiṭabha, Nārāyaṇa’s Yoga-Nidrā, Rudra’s Manifestation, and the Aṣṭamūrti–Trimūrti Teaching
तेष्वेवं निरपेक्षेषु लोकसृष्टौ पितामहः / बभूव नष्टचेता वै मायया परमेष्ठिनः
teṣvevaṃ nirapekṣeṣu lokasṛṣṭau pitāmahaḥ / babhūva naṣṭacetā vai māyayā parameṣṭhinaḥ
Lorsque la création des mondes se poursuivit ainsi, comme d’elle-même et sans appui, l’Aïeul Brahmā fut réellement troublé : son esprit fut voilé par la Māyā du Seigneur Suprême (Parameṣṭhin).
Narrator (Purāṇic narrator, traditionally Sūta relating the account of cosmic creation)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
It implies a transcendent Supreme (Īśvara/Parameṣṭhin) whose Māyā can veil even Brahmā’s cognition—pointing to the Atman/Īśvara as the ultimate ground beyond the created process and beyond mental confusion.
The verse itself is doctrinal rather than prescriptive, but it supports the Kurma Purana’s yogic emphasis on overcoming Māyā through discrimination (viveka), steadied awareness (dhyāna), and devotion to Īśvara—core to the text’s broader Pāśupata-oriented discipline.
By stressing one Supreme Lord whose Māyā governs cosmic functions (including Brahmā), the verse aligns with the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis: the highest Īśvara is praised in forms revered by both Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava traditions.