Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 26
Sapta-dvīpa Cosmography and the Vision of Śvetadvīpa–Vaikuṇṭha
कुशद्वीपस्य विस्ताराद् द्विगुणेन समन्ततः / क्रौञ्चद्वीपस्ततो विप्रा वेष्टयित्वा घृतोदधिम्
kuśadvīpasya vistārād dviguṇena samantataḥ / krauñcadvīpastato viprā veṣṭayitvā ghṛtodadhim
ഹേ വിപ്രന്മാരേ! കുശദ്വീപത്തിന്റെ വിസ്താരത്തിന്റെ ഇരട്ടിയായി എല്ലാദിക്കിലും വ്യാപിച്ച്, അതിന് ശേഷം ക്രൗഞ്ചദ്വീപം സ്ഥിതിചെയ്യുന്നു; അത് ഘൃതസമുദ്രത്തെ ചുറ്റിപ്പറ്റി നിലകൊള്ളുന്നു।
Sūta (narrator) describing the Purāṇic cosmography to the sages
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
This verse is primarily cosmographical, mapping sacred space rather than directly teaching Ātman-doctrine; in Purāṇic framing, such ordered cosmic structure supports dharma by situating beings within an intelligible, divinely governed universe.
No specific yoga practice is taught in this line; it belongs to the Kurma Purana’s geographic-cosmic section, which complements later spiritual instructions (e.g., Pāśupata-oriented teachings and the Īśvara-gītā) by presenting the cosmos as a field for dharma and devotion.
It does not explicitly discuss Śiva–Viṣṇu unity; instead, it contributes to the shared Purāṇic worldview in which the cosmos is described as a sacred order upheld by the Supreme, harmonizing sectarian strands across the text.