Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 18
Cosmic Night, Nārāyaṇa as Brahmā, and the Varāha Raising of the Earth
नमो ऽस्तु ते वराहाय नमस्ते मत्स्यरूपिणे / नमो योगाधिगम्याय नमः सकर्षणाय ते
namo 'stu te varāhāya namaste matsyarūpiṇe / namo yogādhigamyāya namaḥ sakarṣaṇāya te
Hommage à Toi en Varāha; hommage à Toi sous la forme de Matsya. Hommage à Toi, que l’on atteint par le Yoga; hommage à Toi, ô Saṅkarṣaṇa.
A devotee/sage offering a stuti (hymn) within the Purva-bhaga narrative frame (addressing Lord Vishnu/Narayana).
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
By calling the Lord “yogādhigamya” (realizable through Yoga), the verse implies that the Supreme is not merely an external deity but an inner reality directly knowable through disciplined realization—consistent with Purāṇic teaching that the same Lord pervades the self and cosmos.
The verse does not list techniques, but it foregrounds the principle that the Lord is reached by Yoga—i.e., by inner concentration, restraint, and contemplative knowledge (yoga as sādhana leading to direct realization), a theme that later aligns with the Kurma Purana’s broader yoga-oriented instruction.
While Shiva is not named, the emphasis on Yoga-realization and the Purana’s integrative theology supports a non-sectarian reading: the Supreme praised through Vishnu’s forms is the same ultimate reality that Shaiva traditions also approach through yogic discipline.