Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 68
Genealogies of Yadus and Vṛṣṇis; Navaratha’s Refuge to Sarasvatī; Rise of Sāttvata Tradition; Prelude to Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma Incarnation
स्वयंभोजस्ततस्तस्माद् हृदिकः शत्रुतापनः / कृतवर्माथ तत्पुत्रो देवरस्तत्सुतः स्मृतः / स शूरस्तत्सुतो धीमान् वसुदेवो ऽथ तत्सुतः
svayaṃbhojastatastasmād hṛdikaḥ śatrutāpanaḥ / kṛtavarmātha tatputro devarastatsutaḥ smṛtaḥ / sa śūrastatsuto dhīmān vasudevo 'tha tatsutaḥ
De Svayaṃbhoja naquit Hṛdika, le brûleur des ennemis. De lui naquit Kṛtavarmā; son fils est connu sous le nom de Devara. Le fils de Devara fut Śūra, vaillant et sage, et de Śūra naquit Vasudeva—puis naquit son fils.
Sūta (narrator) recounting the Purāṇic genealogy to the assembled sages
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
This verse is primarily genealogical and does not directly teach Ātman-doctrine; indirectly, it situates divine descent (Vasudeva’s line) within Purāṇic dharma-history, a framework later used in the Kurma Purana to ground spiritual instruction (including non-dual themes) in sacred lineage and memory (smṛti).
No explicit yoga practice is taught in this śloka; it functions as narrative scaffolding. In the Kurma Purana, such lineage passages often precede or contextualize later teachings—especially in the Upari-bhāga’s Ishvara Gītā—where discipline, devotion, and yogic restraint are set within dharma and sacred history.
The verse does not explicitly mention Śiva or the Śiva–Viṣṇu unity; it focuses on the Yādava genealogy culminating in Vasudeva’s line. The Kurma Purana’s broader synthesis emerges elsewhere, where devotion and yoga are presented in a way that harmonizes Vaiṣṇava avatāra narratives with Śaiva (including Pāśupata) spiritual vocabulary.