Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 49
Prākṛta Sṛṣṭi and Pralaya: From Pradhāna to Brahmāṇḍa; Trimūrti Samanvaya
हिरण्यगर्भो भगवान् ब्रह्मा वै कनकाण्डजः / तृतीयं भगवद्रूपं प्राहुर्वेदार्थवेदिनः
hiraṇyagarbho bhagavān brahmā vai kanakāṇḍajaḥ / tṛtīyaṃ bhagavadrūpaṃ prāhurvedārthavedinaḥ
ഹിരണ്യഗർഭനായ ഭഗവാൻ ബ്രഹ്മാ, കനകാണ്ഡജനായി ജനിച്ചവൻ; വേദാർത്ഥം അറിയുന്നവർ അവനെ ഭഗവാന്റെ മൂന്നാം രൂപമായി പ്രസ്താവിക്കുന്നു.
Narrator/Sūta-like purāṇic voice (teaching the doctrine of divine manifestations)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It presents creation as a manifestation of Bhagavān: even Brahmā (Hiraṇyagarbha) is not independent but a divine form arising from the Supreme, implying the Self behind the cosmos is one governing reality.
No direct technique is taught in this verse; it supplies the contemplative basis for Yoga—meditating on Īśvara as the source of Hiraṇyagarbha and the cosmic order, a foundation later aligned with Pāśupata-oriented devotion and discipline in the Kurma Purana.
By grounding Brahmā’s creative power in Bhagavān, the verse supports the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis: the supreme Īśvara (understood through both Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava lenses) manifests the creator and sustains cosmic functions without contradiction.