Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 4
Viṣṇu at Upamanyu’s Āśrama: Pāśupata Tapas, Darśana of Śiva, and Boons from Devī
तपत्त्रिराजमारूढः सुपर्णमतितेजसम् / शङ्खचक्रगदापाणिः श्रीवत्सकृतलक्षणः
tapattrirājamārūḍhaḥ suparṇamatitejasam / śaṅkhacakragadāpāṇiḥ śrīvatsakṛtalakṣaṇaḥ
तो तप्त तेजस्वी पक्षिराज गरुड—अतितेजस्वी सुपर्ण—यावर आरूढ होऊन प्रकट झाला; त्याच्या हातात शंख, चक्र व गदा होती आणि वक्षस्थळी शुभ श्रीवत्सचिन्ह होते।
Narrator (Purāṇic narration, describing the Lord’s appearance to the devotees/sages)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
By portraying Nārāyaṇa as supremely radiant and marked with Śrīvatsa, the verse points to the Supreme as self-luminous (svayaṃ-prakāśa) and auspicious—recognized through divine attributes while remaining the transcendent ground of all.
The verse supports dhyāna-yoga through iconographic contemplation: meditating on the Lord mounted on Garuḍa, holding śaṅkha-cakra-gadā, and bearing Śrīvatsa—an aid to one-pointedness (ekāgratā) and devotional absorption aligned with Purāṇic yoga.
While explicitly Vaiṣṇava in imagery, the Kurma Purana’s broader synthesis treats such divine form-descriptions as valid gateways to the one Supreme Lord revered also as Śiva—supporting a non-sectarian, unity-oriented (abheda) devotional reading.