Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 5
Solar Rays, Planetary Nourishment, Dhruva-Bondage of the Grahas, and the Lunar Cycle
तिर्यगूर्ध्वप्रचारो ऽसौ सुषुम्नः परिपठ्यते / हरिकेशस्तु यः प्रोक्तो रश्मिर्नक्षत्रपोषकः
tiryagūrdhvapracāro 'sau suṣumnaḥ paripaṭhyate / harikeśastu yaḥ prokto raśmirnakṣatrapoṣakaḥ
जो (प्रवाह) तिरपा आणि ऊर्ध्व—दोन्ही दिशांनी चालतो, तो ‘सुषुम्न’ म्हणून परिपाठात आहे. आणि ‘हरिकेश’ नावाची रश्मी नक्षत्रांचे पोषण करणारी सांगितली आहे.
Traditional Purāṇic narrator (within the Kurma Purana’s cosmological exposition)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
Indirectly: by describing an ordered, sustaining cosmic function (rays that nourish the nakṣatras), the verse supports the Purāṇic view that the universe operates through intelligible, law-like powers—often ultimately grounded in Īśvara, though the Atman is not explicitly defined here.
The term “Suṣumnā” echoes yogic subtle-body teaching (the central channel associated with upward movement). While this verse is framed cosmologically, it aligns with Yoga-śāstra imagery of prāṇa moving upward through Suṣumnā—useful for meditation on inner ascent and disciplined prāṇic regulation.
Not explicitly; however, Kurma Purana commonly presents a synthesis where cosmic governance (rays, channels, nourishment of stars) is an expression of the one Īśvara revered through both Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava lenses—unity shown through shared cosmological and yogic vocabulary.