Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 24
Cosmic Night, Nārāyaṇa as Brahmā, and the Varāha Raising of the Earth
तस्योपरि जलौघस्य महती नौरिव स्थिता / विततत्वाच्च देहस्य न मही याति संप्लवम्
tasyopari jalaughasya mahatī nauriva sthitā / vitatatvācca dehasya na mahī yāti saṃplavam
Di atas gelombang air yang mengamuk itu, Bumi yang agung berdiri teguh laksana bahtera raksasa; dan karena tubuh-Nya terbentang sebagai penopang, Bumi tidak tenggelam dalam banjir pralaya.
Suta (narrating the Kurma Purana account to the sages)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
It presents the Supreme as the underlying support (ādhāra) that remains steady amid dissolution, implying an unshaken, sustaining reality beneath changing cosmic states.
The verse points to dhāraṇā in a cosmic sense—contemplating the Lord as the inner support of the world—an aid to steadiness of mind amid the ‘flood’ of sensations and change.
By emphasizing the one sustaining principle behind cosmic order, it aligns with the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian theology where the supreme support can be praised in Shaiva or Vaishnava terms without contradiction.