Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 60
Sūrya-vaṃśa Genealogy and the Supremacy of Tapas: Gāyatrī-Japa, Rudra-Darśana, and Śatarudrīya Upadeśa
तं दृष्ट्वा वेदविदुषं मण्डलस्थं सनातनम् / स्वयंभुवमनाद्यन्तं ब्रह्माणं विस्मयं गतः
taṃ dṛṣṭvā vedaviduṣaṃ maṇḍalasthaṃ sanātanam / svayaṃbhuvamanādyantaṃ brahmāṇaṃ vismayaṃ gataḥ
Le voyant—Brahmā, l’Auto-né—maître des Veda, siégeant dans le maṇḍala sacré, éternel, sans commencement ni fin, il fut saisi d’un profond émerveillement.
Narrator (Purāṇic narrator describing the seer’s reaction upon beholding Brahmā)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
By describing Brahmā as “without beginning and end” and “eternal,” the verse points to a timeless principle behind manifestation; in Kurma Purana theology this ultimately gestures beyond the creator-form to the unbounded divine reality that creation depends upon.
The image of Brahmā “situated in a maṇḍala” evokes contemplative visualization—seeing the deity in a sacred inner sphere—consistent with Purāṇic dhyāna practices that stabilize the mind through form, mantra, and cosmic symbolism.
While Shiva and Vishnu are not named here, the verse reflects the Purana’s integrative approach: the creator (Brahmā) is presented with transcendent attributes, aligning with the text’s broader tendency to see divine functions (creation, preservation, dissolution) as expressions of one supreme reality honored through both Shaiva and Vaishnava lenses.