Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 55
Prākṛta Sṛṣṭi and Pralaya: From Pradhāna to Brahmāṇḍa; Trimūrti Samanvaya
हिताय चैव भक्तानां स एव ग्रसते पुनः / त्रिधा विभज्य चात्मानं त्रैकाल्ये संप्रवर्तते / सृजते ग्रसते चैव वीक्षते च विशेषतः
hitāya caiva bhaktānāṃ sa eva grasate punaḥ / tridhā vibhajya cātmānaṃ traikālye saṃpravartate / sṛjate grasate caiva vīkṣate ca viśeṣataḥ
Pour le bien de ses dévots, Lui seul réabsorbe de nouveau l’univers en Lui-même. Divisant son propre Soi en trois aspects, il agit à travers les trois temps—passé, présent et futur. En particulier, il crée, il résorbe, et il veille sur tous les êtres d’un regard conscient.
Lord Kurma (Vishnu as the Supreme Ishvara)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It presents the Supreme as one Ishvara who remains the single Self, yet manifests a threefold functional power—creating, withdrawing, and overseeing—while staying sovereign over time itself (past, present, and future).
The verse supports Ishvara-centered contemplation: meditating on the Lord as the inner ruler who creates and dissolves the cosmos, and as the witnessing overseer (vīkṣaka). This aligns with Purāṇic yoga where devotion and discernment rest on recognizing Ishvara’s governance of time and change.
By describing one Supreme who performs the triadic cosmic acts, the verse supports the Kurma Purana’s nonsectarian synthesis: the same Ishvara can be praised as Vishnu or as Shiva in function, without contradicting unity of the Supreme.