Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 12
Lineage of Vyāsas, Division of the Veda, and Vāsudeva/Īśāna as the Veda-Known Supreme
अथ शिष्यान् प्रिजग्राह चतुरो वेदपारगान् / जैमिनिं च सुमन्तुं च वैशम्पायनमेव च / पैलं तेषां चतुर्थं च पञ्चमं मां महामुनिः
atha śiṣyān prijagrāha caturo vedapāragān / jaiminiṃ ca sumantuṃ ca vaiśampāyanameva ca / pailaṃ teṣāṃ caturthaṃ ca pañcamaṃ māṃ mahāmuniḥ
Puis le grand sage accueillit cinq disciples, maîtres des Veda : Jaimini, Sumantu et Vaiśampāyana ; Paila comme le quatrième ; et comme cinquième, il m’accueillit moi‑même.
Sūta (narrator), recounting the Purāṇic tradition of Vyāsa’s disciplic succession
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
This verse does not directly define Ātman; it establishes scriptural authority through the guru–śiṣya lineage, implying that reliable knowledge of Ātman is to be received via authentic Vedic transmission.
No specific Yoga practice is taught in this verse; its focus is on paramparā (disciplic succession), which is a prerequisite framework for later teachings such as Pāśupata-oriented discipline and the Ishvara Gītā instructions in the Upari-bhāga.
It does not explicitly discuss Śiva–Viṣṇu unity; instead, it grounds the Purāṇa’s teachings in Vedic lineage, a foundation upon which the Kurma Purana later presents its Śaiva–Vaiṣṇava synthesis.