Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 24
Dakṣa’s Progeny, Nṛsiṃha–Varāha Avatāras, and Andhaka’s Defeat
Hari–Hara–Śakti Synthesis
दृष्ट्वा देवं जगद्योनिं विष्णुं विश्वगुरुं शिवम् / ववन्दे चरणौ मूर्ध्ना कृताञ्जलिरभाषत
dṛṣṭvā devaṃ jagadyoniṃ viṣṇuṃ viśvaguruṃ śivam / vavande caraṇau mūrdhnā kṛtāñjalirabhāṣata
Ayant contemplé le Seigneur divin—matrice de l’univers—, Viṣṇu, Maître du monde, qui est aussi Śiva, il se prosterna à Ses pieds, la tête inclinée; puis, les mains jointes, il prit la parole.
Narrator (describing the devotee’s act of reverence before the Lord identified as Vishnu-Shiva)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
By naming the Lord as jagadyoni (source of all) and viśvaguru (universal guide), the verse points to a single supreme reality that underlies and instructs the cosmos; the same supreme is addressed through the unified designation “Vishnu… Shiva.”
The verse foregrounds bhakti as a yogic discipline: darśana (sacred seeing), praṇipāta (bowing/surrender at the feet), and añjali (joined-palms reverence). In Kurma Purana’s synthesis, such devotion supports inner steadiness and receptivity to instruction (guru-tattva).
It presents a deliberate identification—Vishnu is praised as “Shiva” (the auspicious Lord), conveying the Purana’s Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis where the supreme Lord is one, approached through complementary names and forms.