Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 22
Genealogies of Yadus and Vṛṣṇis; Navaratha’s Refuge to Sarasvatī; Rise of Sāttvata Tradition; Prelude to Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma Incarnation
एतस्मिन्नन्तरे क्रुद्धो राजानं राक्षसेश्वरः / हन्तुं समागतः स्थानं यत्र देवी सरस्वती
etasminnantare kruddho rājānaṃ rākṣaseśvaraḥ / hantuṃ samāgataḥ sthānaṃ yatra devī sarasvatī
Cependant, le seigneur des Rākṣasas, saisi de colère, vint jusqu’au lieu où se tenait la déesse Sarasvatī, avec l’intention de tuer le roi.
Purana-narrator (Vyasa/disciplic narration in the Kurma Purana’s narrative frame)
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
This verse is primarily narrative rather than metaphysical: it frames a dharmic crisis near Sarasvatī’s sacred presence, setting the stage for later teachings where protection of righteousness is ultimately grounded in the Supreme.
No explicit yoga practice is stated in this verse; instead it situates the action at a tirtha associated with purity and sacred power—an environment that, in the Kurma Purana, supports tapas, japa, and disciplined worship that later culminate in Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis and yogic instruction.
The verse itself does not name Shiva or Vishnu; it operates in the Purana’s broader framework where divine protection of dharma is shared across sectarian forms, later articulated as harmony between Shaiva and Vaishnava perspectives.