Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 41
Divine Abodes on the Mountains — A Sacred Survey of Jambūdvīpa
Kailāsa to Siddha Realms
महालक्ष्मीर्महादेवी त्रिशूलवरधारिणी / त्रिनेत्रा सर्वशसक्तीभिः संवृता सदसन्मया / पश्यन्ति तत्र मुनयः सिद्धा ये ब्रह्मवादिनः
mahālakṣmīrmahādevī triśūlavaradhāriṇī / trinetrā sarvaśasaktībhiḥ saṃvṛtā sadasanmayā / paśyanti tatra munayaḥ siddhā ye brahmavādinaḥ
तेथे ब्रह्मवाद करणारे सिद्ध मुनी महालक्ष्मी महादेवीचे दर्शन घेतात—जी उत्तम त्रिशूल धारण करणारी, त्रिनेत्री, सर्व शक्तींनी परिवृत आणि सत्-असत्—प्रकट-अप्रकट—स्वरूपिणी आहे।
Narrator (Purāṇic narrator describing the vision beheld by brahmavādin siddha-sages)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
By describing the Goddess as “sad-asad-mayā” (of both manifest and unmanifest), the verse points to a non-dual Brahman-ground that transcends yet includes all categories—suggesting the realized seers perceive the Absolute as the source and substance of both being and becoming.
The verse implies a fruition-stage of yoga: a direct darśana attained by siddha munis who are brahmavādins—i.e., those established in Brahman-discernment. In Kurma Purana’s yogic frame, such vision aligns with deep dhyāna and samādhi where the deity is realized as all-śakti and as the ground of sat/asat.
Mahālakṣmī is portrayed with distinctly Śaiva markers (trident, three eyes) while remaining Lakṣmī, indicating Kurma Purana’s integrative theology: the supreme divinity is one reality expressed through Śiva-Śakti and Viṣṇu-Lakṣmī forms, harmonizing sectarian symbols within a Brahman-centered vision.