Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 1
Sūrya’s Celestial Car: Ādityas, Ṛṣis, Gandharvas, Apsarases, Nāgas, and the Two-Month Cosmic Cycle
इति श्रीकूर्मपुराणे षट्साहस्त्र्यां संहितार्या पूर्वविभागे एकोनचत्वारिंशो ऽध्यायः सूत उवाच स रथो ऽधिष्ठितो देवैरादित्यैर्वसुभिस्तथा / गन्धर्वैरप्सरोभिश्च ग्रामणीसर्पराक्षसैः
iti śrīkūrmapurāṇe ṣaṭsāhastryāṃ saṃhitāryā pūrvavibhāge ekonacatvāriṃśo 'dhyāyaḥ sūta uvāca sa ratho 'dhiṣṭhito devairādityairvasubhistathā / gandharvairapsarobhiśca grāmaṇīsarparākṣasaiḥ
Ainsi, dans le Śrī Kūrma Purāṇa, au sein de la Ṣaṭsāhasrī Saṃhitā, dans la première partie (Pūrvabhāga), commence le quarantième chapitre. Sūta dit : Ce char fut occupé par les dieux—par les Ādityas et aussi par les Vasus—avec les Gandharvas et les Apsaras, ainsi que par des chefs de troupes, des Nāgas et des Rākṣasas.
Sūta
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
This verse is primarily descriptive, presenting a cosmic assembly around a chariot; it implies the Purāṇic vision that all classes of beings—celestial, semi-divine, and liminal—participate within one ordered reality ultimately governed by the Supreme.
No specific yogic technique is taught in this verse; it sets a narrative stage that later supports Kurma Purana teachings on dharma and (in the Upari-bhāga) disciplined spiritual practice such as Pāśupata-oriented devotion and inner restraint.
The verse does not name Śiva or Viṣṇu directly; however, by gathering diverse divine and non-human orders into one sacred narrative space, it aligns with the Kurma Purana’s broader integrative tone that later articulates harmony between Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava perspectives.