Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 68
Virocana–Bali, Aditi’s Tapas, and the Vāmana–Trivikrama Episode
अथ रथचरणासिशङ्खपाणिं सरसिजोलचनमीशमप्रमेयम् / शरणमुपपयौ स भावयोगात् प्रणतगतिं प्रणिधाय कर्मयोगम्
atha rathacaraṇāsiśaṅkhapāṇiṃ sarasijolacanamīśamaprameyam / śaraṇamupapayau sa bhāvayogāt praṇatagatiṃ praṇidhāya karmayogam
Alors, par le bhāva-yoga (contemplation dévotionnelle), il alla chercher refuge auprès de l’Īśvara incommensurable—aux yeux de lotus, tenant la conque et l’épée, les pieds sur le char—ayant fixé sa voie dans la prosternation humble et s’étant fermement établi dans le karma-yoga, la discipline de l’action consacrée.
Narrator (Purāṇic narrator continuing the account of a devotee taking refuge in Īśvara)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti (treated as shanta-adjacent)
FAQs
It points to the Supreme as “aprameya” (immeasurable), indicating a reality beyond ordinary mental measurement; realization is approached through disciplined action (karma-yoga) and inward devotional absorption (bhāva-yoga), culminating in surrender.
Two complementary disciplines are named: karma-yoga (actions dedicated and offered with inner steadiness) and bhāva-yoga (devotional contemplation that ripens into absorption). Both are oriented toward śaraṇāgati—taking refuge through humility and prostration.
Although the iconography here is strongly Vaiṣṇava (lotus-eyed, conch in hand), the verse centers on Īśvara as the transcendent Lord approached by yoga and surrender—consistent with the Kurma Purana’s synthetic framing where the one Īśvara is praised through multiple sectarian vocabularies.