Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 37
Solar Rays, Planetary Nourishment, Dhruva-Bondage of the Grahas, and the Lunar Cycle
न सोमस्य विनाशः स्यात् सुधा देवैस्तु पीयते / एवं सूर्यनिमित्तस्य क्षयो वृद्धिश्च सत्तमाः
na somasya vināśaḥ syāt sudhā devaistu pīyate / evaṃ sūryanimittasya kṣayo vṛddhiśca sattamāḥ
Il n’y a point de destruction de Soma (la Lune) ; au contraire, les dieux boivent son essence d’ambroisie. Ainsi, ô le meilleur des vertueux, la décroissance et la croissance adviennent par l’action du Soleil, cause déterminante.
Sage narration (Purāṇic discourse explaining cosmic causality; traditional frame attributed to the Sūta/primary narrator addressing sages)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It states that Soma is not destroyed; his “nectar” is consumed by the devas, and the observable decrease and increase are governed through the Sun’s causal influence (sūrya-nimitta).
The verse implies regulated causality: apparent loss and gain in the cosmos occur through ordained conditions (nimitta), not through absolute annihilation—supporting a Purāṇic view of cyclical, law-governed transformation.
By presenting the cosmos as orderly and causally structured, it supports the Dharma-Yoga perspective that disciplined living and contemplation align one with ṛta/dharma—an outlook that later harmonizes with the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis and meditative frameworks.