Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 11
Nine Creations (Sarga), Guṇa-Streams of Beings, and Brahmā’s Progeny in Cyclic Time
तं दृष्ट्वा चापरं सर्गममन्यद् भगवानजः / तस्याभिध्यायतः सर्गं सर्गो भूतादिको ऽभवत्
taṃ dṛṣṭvā cāparaṃ sargamamanyad bhagavānajaḥ / tasyābhidhyāyataḥ sargaṃ sargo bhūtādiko 'bhavat
Voyant cette création antérieure, le Seigneur Non-Né (Aja) conçut une autre modalité d’émanation. Tandis qu’il la contemplait en méditation, surgit la création dite « Bhūtādi » : l’apparition des éléments primordiaux et de leurs principes subtils.
Narrator (Purāṇic sage tradition, describing Īśvara/Brahmā-like creative agency under the Supreme)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It presents creation as arising through the Lord’s contemplative will (abhidhyāna), implying that the ultimate reality is prior to and independent of the manifest elements—transcendent, yet capable of projecting the cosmos without losing its unborn nature (aja).
The key term is abhidhyāna—deep contemplative focus. In the Kurma Purana’s broader yogic framework (later systematized in Ishvara Gita and Pāśupata-oriented teachings), creation and transformation are linked to concentrated awareness, emphasizing dhyāna as a causal spiritual power.
By using a sect-neutral ‘Bhagavān Aja’ and describing creation through divine contemplation, the verse supports the Purana’s harmonizing theology: the one Supreme Lord—understood as Hari or Hara in different idioms—functions as the single source of cosmic manifestation.