Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 3
Bhūrloka-Vyavasthā — The Seven Dvīpas, Seven Oceans, and the Meru-Centered Order of Jambūdvīpa
एते सप्त महाद्वीपाः समुद्रैः सप्तभिर्वृताः / द्वीपाद् द्वीपो महानुक्तः सागरादपि सागरः
ete sapta mahādvīpāḥ samudraiḥ saptabhirvṛtāḥ / dvīpād dvīpo mahānuktaḥ sāgarādapi sāgaraḥ
Tels sont les sept grands continents, chacun entouré de sept océans. De continent en continent, il est dit qu’ils croissent en grandeur, et d’océan en océan de même, chacun surpassant le précédent.
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) speaking to sages (Purva-bhaga cosmography narration)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
Indirectly: by presenting an ordered, law-governed cosmos, the verse supports the Purāṇic view that the universe is structured under a single supreme principle (Īśvara), within whom all gradations of space and magnitude are intelligible.
No specific practice is taught in this verse; it functions as cosmographic instruction. In the Kurma Purana’s broader framework, such ordered description supports dhyāna on Īśvara as the regulator of cosmic order (niyantṛ), a preparatory contemplation aligned with Purāṇic yoga and later Ishvara-gītā teachings.
It does not name Śiva explicitly, but it reflects the Kurma Purana’s synthesis: the same supreme Lord who teaches (as Kurma/Vishnu) also embodies the universal governance that Shaiva traditions attribute to Īśvara—pointing to a shared, non-sectarian sovereignty over creation.