Shloka 26
Īśvara-gītā: Vibhūtis of the Supreme Lord and the Paśu–Paśupati Doctrine of Bondage and Release
सत्त्वं रजस्तमश्चेति गुणत्रयमुदाहृतम् / साम्यावस्थितिमेतेषामव्यक्तं प्रकृतिं विदुः
sattvaṃ rajastamaśceti guṇatrayamudāhṛtam / sāmyāvasthitimeteṣāmavyaktaṃ prakṛtiṃ viduḥ
સત્ત્વ, રજસ અને તમસ—આ ત્રણ ગુણ કહેવાયા છે. જ્યારે એ સમત્વમાં સ્થિત હોય, ત્યારે તે અવસ્થા ‘અવ્યક્ત’ કહેવાય; જ્ઞાની તેને આદ્ય પ્રકૃતિ તરીકે જાણે છે.
Lord Kūrma (Vishnu) instructing sages (Sāṅkhya-oriented teaching in the Kurma Purana narrative frame)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
By defining Prakṛti as the guṇa-equilibrium called avyakta, the verse implicitly distinguishes the Self as the knower beyond guṇas—Atman/Puruṣa is not the guṇas, but witnesses their balance and disturbance.
The verse supports guṇa-analysis used in Yoga: cultivating sattva and reducing rajas-tamas stabilizes the mind, making it fit for dhyāna and discriminative insight (viveka) between Puruṣa and Prakṛti—an underpinning for later Pāśupata-oriented discipline in the Kurma Purana.
Though the verse is Sāṅkhya terminology, its placement in the Kurma Purana’s integrated theology allows the same Prakṛti-doctrine to function under Īśvara’s governance—supporting the Purana’s non-sectarian Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis where divine instruction (Kūrma/Vishnu) aligns with Śaiva-Yogic metaphysics.