Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 9
Madhu–Kaiṭabha, Nārāyaṇa’s Yoga-Nidrā, Rudra’s Manifestation, and the Aṣṭamūrti–Trimūrti Teaching
ततो ऽवतीर्य विश्वात्मा देहमाविश्य चक्रिणः / अवाच वैष्णवीं निद्रामेकीभूयाथ विष्णुना
tato 'vatīrya viśvātmā dehamāviśya cakriṇaḥ / avāca vaiṣṇavīṃ nidrāmekībhūyātha viṣṇunā
Alors l’Âme universelle descendit, entra dans le corps du Seigneur porteur du disque; et, devenu un avec Viṣṇu, il invoqua et mit en mouvement la Puissance du Sommeil, la Vaiṣṇavī.
Narrator (Purāṇic narration, traditionally Sūta/authorial voice) describing the divine action
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
By calling the agent “Viśvātmā,” the verse frames the Supreme as the universal indweller who can enter and operate through a divine form—suggesting a non-dual ground that pervades and animates manifestation.
The mention of “Nidrā” as a Vaiṣṇava power can be read as yogic withdrawal (pratyāhāra) and controlled stillness—where consciousness ‘enters’ a chosen locus and unifies (ekībhāva), echoing Purāṇic yogic language of śakti-guided absorption.
Though explicitly Vaiṣṇava in imagery (cakrin, Vaiṣṇavī śakti), the metaphysical title “Viśvātmā” points to a shared Supreme principle beyond sectarian form—consistent with the Kurma Purana’s broader Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis.