Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 35
Genealogies of Yadus and Vṛṣṇis; Navaratha’s Refuge to Sarasvatī; Rise of Sāttvata Tradition; Prelude to Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma Incarnation
सात्त्वतः सत्त्वसंपन्नः कौशल्यां सुषुवे सुतान् / अन्धकं वै महाभोजं वृष्णिं देवावृधं नृपम् / ज्येष्ठं च भजमानाख्यं धनुर्वेदविदां वरम्
sāttvataḥ sattvasaṃpannaḥ kauśalyāṃ suṣuve sutān / andhakaṃ vai mahābhojaṃ vṛṣṇiṃ devāvṛdhaṃ nṛpam / jyeṣṭhaṃ ca bhajamānākhyaṃ dhanurvedavidāṃ varam
സാത്ത്വതൻ സത്ത്വസമ്പന്നനായി കൗശല്യയിൽ പുത്രന്മാരെ പ്രസവിപ്പിച്ചു—മഹാഭോജനായ അന്ധകൻ, വൃഷ്ണി, രാജാവായ ദേവാവൃധൻ, കൂടാതെ ജ്യേഷ്ഠനായ ഭജമാനൻ; ധനുര്വേദവിദ്യയിൽ പ്രാവീണ്യമുള്ളവരിൽ ശ്രേഷ്ഠൻ.
Purāṇic narrator (Sūta/Vyāsa tradition) recounting dynastic genealogy
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
This verse is genealogical rather than directly metaphysical; it supports the Purāṇic method of grounding later teachings (including Atman–Brahman instruction found elsewhere in the text) within a dharmic, historical lineage framework.
No explicit yoga practice is taught in this verse; instead it highlights sattva (virtue/purity) and kṣatriya disciplines like Dhanurveda, which Purāṇas often treat as part of dharma that prepares the mind for higher disciplines taught later (e.g., Pāśupata-oriented sādhanā in the Kurma Purana).
It does not explicitly address Shiva–Vishnu unity; it provides dynastic context that, in the Kurma Purana’s broader Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis, situates divine teachings within the world of righteous kings and lineages.