Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 9
Bhūrloka-Vyavasthā — The Seven Dvīpas, Seven Oceans, and the Meru-Centered Order of Jambūdvīpa
हिमवान् हेमकूटश्च निषधश्चास्य दक्षिणे / नीलः श्वेतश्च शृङ्गी च उत्तरे वर्षपर्वताः
himavān hemakūṭaśca niṣadhaścāsya dakṣiṇe / nīlaḥ śvetaśca śṛṅgī ca uttare varṣaparvatāḥ
അതിന്റെ തെക്കിൽ ഹിമവാൻ, ഹേമകൂട, നിഷധ എന്നീ പർവ്വതങ്ങൾ; വടക്കിൽ വർഷ-പർവ്വതങ്ങൾ—നീല, ശ്വേത, ശൃംഗി—ഉണ്ട്.
Sūta (narrator), recounting the Purāṇic cosmography to the sages (Naimiṣāraṇya frame)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
This verse is primarily cosmographical, mapping sacred mountain ranges; indirectly, such ordered descriptions support the Purāṇic view that the cosmos is an intelligible, dharma-governed manifestation sustained by the Supreme—within whom all regions and beings abide.
No specific yogic technique is taught in this verse; however, Purāṇic geography commonly functions as a contemplative aid (dhyāna) and pilgrimage framework, orienting sādhakas toward tīrthas and sacred spaces where disciplines like japa, vrata, and Pāśupata-oriented devotion are undertaken.
The verse does not explicitly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu; in the Kurma Purāṇa’s synthetic theology, such cosmological mapping is part of the shared sacred order upheld by the one Supreme Lord—revered through both Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava idioms—within which dharma, tīrtha, and yoga practices unfold.