Shloka 3
Tāmasa Sarga, the Androgynous Division of Brahmā, and the Lineages of Dharma and Adharma
अथात्मनि समद्राक्षीत् तमोमात्रां नियामिकाम् / रजः सत्त्वं च संवृत्य वर्तमानां स्वधर्मतः
athātmani samadrākṣīt tamomātrāṃ niyāmikām / rajaḥ sattvaṃ ca saṃvṛtya vartamānāṃ svadharmataḥ
Puis il contempla en le Soi le principe régisseur fait de tamas seul, qui voile à la fois rajas et sattva, et pourtant continue d’agir selon sa loi propre.
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing on Self-knowledge in the Ishvara Gita context
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It frames the inner vision as seeing how the gunas function in relation to the Self: tamas appears as a veiling, regulating force, while the Self remains the locus of discernment that can witness these coverings.
The verse implies antar-darśana (inner contemplation): sustained meditation that discriminates the guna-based coverings—especially tamas that obscures clarity—so the practitioner can pursue sattva and transcend even sattva through higher knowledge.
By teaching a shared yogic-metaphysical framework (gunas, inner witness, and liberation through knowledge), the Ishvara Gita voice attributed to Lord Kurma aligns with Shaiva yogic terminology, reflecting the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis rather than rivalry.