Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 55
Virocana–Bali, Aditi’s Tapas, and the Vāmana–Trivikrama Episode
अथोपतस्थे भगवाननादिः पितामहास्तोषयामास विष्णुम् / भित्त्वा तदण्डस्य कपालमूर्ध्वं जगाम दिव्यावरणानि भूयः
athopatasthe bhagavānanādiḥ pitāmahāstoṣayāmāsa viṣṇum / bhittvā tadaṇḍasya kapālamūrdhvaṃ jagāma divyāvaraṇāni bhūyaḥ
Alors le Bhagavān sans commencement fut honoré comme il se doit; et Pitāmaha (Brahmā) combla Viṣṇu par ses louanges. Ayant fendu la voûte supérieure, pareille à un crâne, de cet œuf cosmique, Il poursuivit encore sa marche à travers les enveloppes divines de l’univers.
Narrator (Purāṇic narration, describing Brahmā’s action and praise of Viṣṇu)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
By calling the Lord “anādi” (beginningless) and showing Brahmā’s dependence on Him, the verse implies a Supreme Reality prior to creation—transcending the brahmāṇḍa and its coverings—toward which even the creator turns in devotion.
While not a procedural yoga verse, it points to the yogic principle of transcending successive “āvaraṇas” (enveloping layers). In Kurma Purana’s spiritual idiom, this aligns with inner ascent beyond gross and subtle limitations through devotion (bhakti) and contemplative penetration of cosmic/psychic sheaths.
It presents a Purāṇic non-sectarian theology: Brahmā praises Viṣṇu as the beginningless Bhagavān, reflecting the Kurma Purana’s broader synthesis where the Supreme Lord is one, honored through different divine forms (including Shaiva-Vaishnava unity across the text).