Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 70
Tīrtha-māhātmya and Rudra’s Samanvaya Teaching
Maṅkaṇaka Episode
मम वै सापरा शक्तिर्देवी विद्येति विश्रुता / दृष्टा हि भवता नूनं विद्यादेहस्त्वहं ततः
mama vai sāparā śaktirdevī vidyeti viśrutā / dṛṣṭā hi bhavatā nūnaṃ vidyādehastvahaṃ tataḥ
എന്റെ പരാശക്തി ‘വിദ്യ’ എന്ന ദേവിയായി പ്രസിദ്ധമാണ്. നീ അവളെ നിശ്ചയമായും കണ്ടിരിക്കുന്നു; അതിനാൽ ഞാൻ ആ വിദ്യയുടെ ദേഹസ്വരൂപമാണ്.
Lord Kūrma (Vishnu) instructing the inquirer (contextually King Indradyumna / sages in the Kaurma dialogue frame)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It presents the Supreme as not merely possessing knowledge, but as knowledge embodied—indicating a non-dual view where true Vidyā is inseparable from Īśvara’s very being.
The verse supports a jñāna-oriented discipline within Pāśupata-inflected practice: realization comes through direct vision of Vidyā-Śakti—i.e., contemplative insight where knowledge becomes lived identity rather than mere concept.
By grounding liberation in a shared principle—Vidyā-Śakti and Īśvara as knowledge itself—the verse aligns with the Kurma Purana’s synthetic stance where sectarian boundaries soften in the face of one supreme reality expressed through different divine forms.