Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 6
Sapta-dvīpa Cosmography and the Vision of Śvetadvīpa–Vaikuṇṭha
तेषां नद्यश्च सप्तैव वर्षाणां तु समुद्रगाः / तासु ब्रह्मर्षयो नित्यं पितामहपुपासते
teṣāṃ nadyaśca saptaiva varṣāṇāṃ tu samudragāḥ / tāsu brahmarṣayo nityaṃ pitāmahapupāsate
Pour ces régions (varṣas), il existe en vérité sept rivières, et les rivières de ces varṣas se jettent dans l’océan. Dans ces eaux sacrées, les Brahmarishis vénèrent et adorent sans cesse Pitāmaha, l’Aïeul, Brahmā.
Sūta (narrator) relaying the Purāṇic account to the sages
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
This verse is primarily cosmographic: it maps sacred geography and ritual orientation. Indirectly, it supports the Purāṇic view that dharma is sustained through sacred spaces (tīrthas) and worship, which purify the mind and prepare one for higher knowledge of the Self taught elsewhere in the Kurma Purana.
No explicit yogic technique is stated; the emphasis is on nitya-upāsanā (regular worship/attendance) by Brahmarṣis. In Kurma Purana’s broader framework, such disciplined devotion and tīrtha-oriented purity function as preparatory limbs supporting later yogic and jñāna teachings (including themes associated with Pāśupata-oriented practice).
This verse does not directly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu; it highlights veneration of Brahmā and sacred rivers. In the Kurma Purana’s inclusive theology, such passages sit alongside Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis by presenting a shared ritual-cosmic order where different deities are honored within one dharmic framework.