Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 40
Īśvara-Gītā (continued): Twofold Yoga, Aṣṭāṅga Discipline, Pāśupata Meditation, and the Unity of Nārāyaṇa–Maheśvara
देशावस्थितिमालम्ब्य बुद्धेर्या वृत्तिसंततिः / वृत्त्यन्तरैरसंसृष्टा तद्ध्यानं सूरयो विदुः
deśāvasthitimālambya buddheryā vṛttisaṃtatiḥ / vṛttyantarairasaṃsṛṣṭā taddhyānaṃ sūrayo viduḥ
ಒಂದೇ ದೇಶ-ಸ್ಥಿತಿಯನ್ನು ಆಧಾರವಾಗಿ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಂಡು ಬುದ್ಧಿಯ ವೃತ್ತಿಗಳ ನಿರಂತರ ಪ್ರವಾಹವು ನಡೆಯುತ್ತಾ, ಇತರ ವೃತ್ತಿಗಳೊಂದಿಗೆ ಬೆರೆತಿಲ್ಲದೆ ಇದ್ದರೆ—ಅದೇ ಧ್ಯಾನವೆಂದು ಜ್ಞಾನಿಗಳು ತಿಳಿಯುತ್ತಾರೆ.
Lord Kūrma (Vishnu) teaching Ishvara Gita to King Indradyumna (via the sages’ transmission)
Primary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
By defining dhyāna as an unmixed, continuous mental stream fixed on one support, the verse implies that realization arises when the mind stops scattering into other vṛttis—making the Self/Ishvara’s presence evident through steady contemplative absorption.
It highlights dhyāna as ekāgratā: sustaining one unbroken current of attention anchored in a chosen locus (deśa) and inner state (avasthā), without intrusion of other thoughts—an Ishvara-Gita style instruction aligned with Pāśupata-oriented discipline.
Though not naming Shiva directly, the Ishvara Gita framework presents meditation as devotionally and philosophically compatible with both Shaiva and Vaishnava paths—one-pointed dhyāna on Ishvara is the shared method within the Kurma Purana’s synthesis.