Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 45
Divine Abodes on the Mountains — A Sacred Survey of Jambūdvīpa
Kailāsa to Siddha Realms
अञ्जनस्य गिरेः शृङ्गे नारीणां पुरमुत्तमम् / वसन्ति तत्राप्सरसो रम्भाद्या रतिलालसाः
añjanasya gireḥ śṛṅge nārīṇāṃ puramuttamam / vasanti tatrāpsaraso rambhādyā ratilālasāḥ
Au sommet du mont Añjana se dresse la cité suprême des femmes. Là demeurent les Apsarās—conduites par Rambhā—toujours avides de délices et de jeux d’amour.
Sūta (narrator) recounting Purāṇic sacred geography to the sages (Naimiṣāraṇya frame)
Primary Rasa: shringara
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
This verse is descriptive cosmography rather than direct ātma-jñāna instruction; it situates a celestial locale, while the Purāṇa’s later doctrinal sections (notably the Upari-bhāga/Iśvara-gītā) provide explicit teaching on the Self beyond sense-pleasure.
No specific yoga practice is taught in this verse. Indirectly, by portraying beings “eager for pleasure,” it sets a contrast to the Kurma Purana’s later emphasis on restraint (saṃyama), devotion (bhakti), and disciplined practice associated with Pāśupata-oriented Śaiva-Vaiṣṇava synthesis.
It does not directly address Śiva–Viṣṇu unity; it functions as mythic geography. The Kurma Purana’s non-dual harmonization of Śiva and Viṣṇu is articulated more explicitly in later theological dialogues rather than in this scenic description.