Shloka 38
Manvantaras, Indras, Saptarṣis, and the Seven Sustaining Manifestations; Vyāsa as Nārāyaṇa
एकांशेन जगत् सर्वं व्याप्य नारायणः स्थितः / चतुर्धा संस्थितो व्यापी सगुणो निर्गुणो ऽपि च
ekāṃśena jagat sarvaṃ vyāpya nārāyaṇaḥ sthitaḥ / caturdhā saṃsthito vyāpī saguṇo nirguṇo 'pi ca
നാരായണൻ തന്റെ ഒരു അംശംകൊണ്ട് സമസ്ത ജഗത്തെയും വ്യാപിച്ച് നിലകൊള്ളുന്നു. സർവ്വവ്യാപിയായ പ്രഭു ചതുര്വിധമായി സ്ഥാപിതൻ—സഗുണനും നിർഗുണനും കൂടെ।
Lord Kūrma (Vishnu) instructing the sages (Kurma Purana discourse context)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It presents the Supreme (Nārāyaṇa) as immanent—pervading the whole cosmos even by a mere ‘portion’—and also transcendent, expressible as both saguṇa (knowable through form and qualities) and nirguṇa (beyond qualities).
The verse supports a yogic approach of contemplating the Lord in two complementary ways: meditation on the qualified Lord (saguṇa upāsanā) for steadiness of mind, and inquiry/absorption into the attributeless reality (nirguṇa-bhāvanā) for liberation—an approach compatible with Kurma Purana’s synthesis of devotion and yogic knowledge.
By emphasizing one Supreme reality that is both manifest and unmanifest, it aligns with the Kurma Purana’s integrative stance: sectarian forms are valid expressions of the same all-pervading Absolute, enabling Shaiva–Vaishnava harmony at the level of tattva (principle).