Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 12
Invocation, Purāṇa Lakṣaṇas, Kurma at the Samudra-manthana, and Indradyumna’s Liberation Teaching
Iśvara-Gītā Prelude
सर्गश्च प्रतिसर्गश्च वंशो मन्वन्तराणि च / वंशानुचरितं चैव पुराणं पञ्चलक्षणम्
sargaśca pratisargaśca vaṃśo manvantarāṇi ca / vaṃśānucaritaṃ caiva purāṇaṃ pañcalakṣaṇam
സർഗം, പ്രതിസർഗം, വംശം, മന്വന്തരങ്ങൾ, വംശാനുചരിതം—ഈ അഞ്ചു ലക്ഷണങ്ങളാൽ ‘പുരാണം’ എന്നു വിളിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു.
Sūta (traditional Purāṇic narrator) explaining the defining marks of a Purāṇa to the assembled sages
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
Indirectly: by defining Purāṇa as a structured account of creation, re-creation, and cosmic cycles, it frames the world-process that later teachings (including Kurma Purana’s yoga and īśvara-doctrine) interpret as governed by the Supreme Reality beyond cyclical change.
No specific practice is taught in this verse; it establishes the Purāṇic framework (cosmic creation, Manus, and dynasties) that later supports Kurma Purana’s high-intent sections such as the Ishvara Gita and discussions aligned with Pāśupata-oriented discipline and dharma.
It does not mention Śiva or Viṣṇu explicitly; it defines what counts as Purāṇa. In the Kurma Purana’s broader Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis, this fivefold structure becomes the narrative vessel through which unity-of-Iśvara teachings are later presented.