Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 8
Cosmic Realms Above Dhruva, the Pātālas Below, and the Foundation of Pralaya
Ananta–Kāla
सूर्यकोटिप्रतीकाशं पुरं तस्य दुरासदम् / न मे वर्णयितुं शक्यं ज्वालामालासमाकुलम्
sūryakoṭipratīkāśaṃ puraṃ tasya durāsadam / na me varṇayituṃ śakyaṃ jvālāmālāsamākulam
Cette cité brillait de l’éclat de dix millions de soleils et demeurait inabordable. Je ne puis la décrire : elle était de toutes parts encombrée de guirlandes et d’amas de flammes.
Narrator (a describing voice within the Purva-bhaga narrative, recounting a vision/description of a formidable divine city)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
Indirectly, by using overwhelming radiance and inexpressibility: the reality being described exceeds ordinary speech and sense-measures, echoing the Purāṇic idea that the highest principle is known more by awe and realization than by exhaustive description.
No technique is prescribed in this verse; instead it supplies a contemplative support (ālambana) for meditation—visualizing divine splendor and the limits of language—often used in Purāṇic devotion to steady attention and evoke reverence.
This verse does not explicitly name Śiva or Viṣṇu; it contributes to the Kurma Purana’s broader Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis by portraying a transcendent, unapproachable sacred reality whose splendor can be read as belonging to the one Supreme, approached through multiple divine forms.