Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 4
Cosmic Manifestation, Mahāmāyā’s Mandate, Varṇāśrama-Dharma, and the Unity of the Trimūrti
चिन्तयामि पुनः सृष्टिं निशान्ते प्रतिबुध्य तु / ततो मे सहसोत्पन्नः प्रसादो मुनिपुङ्गवा
cintayāmi punaḥ sṛṣṭiṃ niśānte pratibudhya tu / tato me sahasotpannaḥ prasādo munipuṅgavā
宇宙の夜が終わりに近づき、われが目覚めるとき、われは再び創造を観想する。すると、ああ最勝の牟尼よ、われの内に忽ちプラサーダ—澄明と恩寵の決意—が湧き起こる。
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) speaking to the sages
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It presents the Supreme as self-awakened and self-luminous: at the end of dissolution, the Lord “awakens” (pratibudhya) and, by inner sovereignty, wills creation—implying consciousness as the ground of cosmic manifestation.
The key term is prasāda—serene clarity/grace arising suddenly from inner stillness. In Yoga-shastra language, it aligns with purified mind (citta-prasāda) where intention becomes steady and creative insight manifests without agitation.
By describing the Lord’s creative resolve as prasāda (a term central to Shaiva devotion and also Vaishnava theology), the verse supports the Kurma Purana’s synthetic tone: the one Ishvara, approached through both Shaiva and Vaishnava idioms, governs dissolution and creation.