Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 4
Bhūrloka-Vyavasthā — The Seven Dvīpas, Seven Oceans, and the Meru-Centered Order of Jambūdvīpa
क्षारोदेक्षुरसोदश्च सुरोदश्च घृतोदकः / दध्योदः क्षीरसलिलः स्वादूदश्चेति सागराः
kṣārodekṣurasodaśca surodaśca ghṛtodakaḥ / dadhyodaḥ kṣīrasalilaḥ svādūdaśceti sāgarāḥ
Voici les océans : l’océan d’eau salée ; l’océan de jus de canne ; l’océan de liqueur enivrante (sura) ; l’océan dont les eaux sont du ghee (ghṛta) ; l’océan de caillé (dadhi) ; l’océan d’eaux de lait ; et l’océan d’eau douce et suave.
Suta (narrator) recounting the Purāṇic cosmography as taught in the Kurma Purana
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: hasya
FAQs
This verse is primarily cosmographical, listing the seven oceans; its indirect teaching is that the manifest world (names, substances, and cosmic layers) is systematically ordered, within which the Atman remains the witnessing reality beyond material distinctions.
No direct yoga practice is taught in this verse; it belongs to Purva-bhaga cosmology. In the Kurma Purana’s broader Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis, such ordered cosmography supports contemplative reflection (dhyāna) on the vastness and structure of creation before turning to disciplined practice in the Upari-bhaga’s Ishvara Gita and Pashupata-oriented teachings.
It does not explicitly discuss Shiva–Vishnu unity; it presents shared Purāṇic cosmology. In the Kurma Purana’s overall non-sectarian frame, the same cosmic order is upheld under the one supreme governance that the text elsewhere harmonizes through Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis.