Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 50
Sapta-dvīpa Cosmography and the Vision of Śvetadvīpa–Vaikuṇṭha
हेमप्राकारसंसुक्तं स्फाटिकैर्मण्डपैर्युतम् / प्रभासहस्त्रकलिलं दुराधर्षं सुशोभनम् / हर्म्यप्राकारसंयुक्तमट्टालकसमाकुलम्
hemaprākārasaṃsuktaṃ sphāṭikairmaṇḍapairyutam / prabhāsahastrakalilaṃ durādharṣaṃ suśobhanam / harmyaprākārasaṃyuktamaṭṭālakasamākulam
黄金の城壁に囲まれ、水晶の楼閣を備え、千の灯火の光明に満ちていた――美しく、攻め難く、まばゆく荘厳である。高殿の垣に連なり、物見の櫓が群れ立っていた。
Narrator (Purāṇic narrator continuing the descriptive account within the dialogue frame)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shringara
FAQs
This verse is primarily architectural and descriptive; indirectly, the “unassailable” and “radiant” imagery can be read as symbolic of the Self’s luminosity (svayaṃ-prakāśatva) and inviolability—yet the verse itself does not explicitly teach ātma-tattva.
No explicit yogic technique is stated. In Purāṇic usage, such descriptions often set a sacred atmosphere—suggesting purity, clarity (like crystal), and focused brilliance—supportive conditions for worship (upāsanā) and contemplation, but the practical steps of Pāśupata Yoga are not detailed in this line.
It does not directly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu. However, the Kurma Purāṇa’s broader Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis often uses shared sacred-space imagery—fortified, radiant divine abodes—to frame devotion that can be directed to Īśvara as one reality approached through multiple names and forms.