Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 3
Dvīpa-Varṣa Vibhāga and the Priyavrata–Agnīdhra Lineage
Cosmic Geography and Royal Succession
यावन्तः सागरा द्वीपास्तथा वर्षाणि पर्वताः / वनानि सरितः सूर्यग्रहाणां स्थितिरेव च
yāvantaḥ sāgarā dvīpāstathā varṣāṇi parvatāḥ / vanāni saritaḥ sūryagrahāṇāṃ sthitireva ca
“Sebanyak mana lautan dan benua (dvīpa), demikian juga banyaknya wilayah (varṣa) dan gunung-ganang; demikian pula hutan dan sungai—serta kedudukan yang tetap dan tertib bagi Surya dan planet-planet.”
Sūta (narrator) relaying the Purāṇic cosmological teaching as taught in the Kurma Purana tradition
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
This verse is primarily cosmographical, mapping the ordered structure of the world and the luminaries; by implication, it supports the Purāṇic view that the cosmos is sustained by an intelligent, law-governed order (ṛta), within which the Self is to be realized as distinct from changing names and forms.
No direct technique is prescribed in this line; however, Kurma Purana’s broader teaching uses such cosmological order as a support for contemplative discernment (viveka) and devotion—seeing the regulated motions of Sun and grahas as a reminder of dharma, time (kāla), and disciplined practice.
The verse does not name Shiva or Vishnu explicitly, but its emphasis on a single coherent cosmic order aligns with the Kurma Purana’s integrative theology: the same supreme governance is understood through both Shaiva (Pāśupata) and Vaiṣṇava (Nārāyaṇa/Kūrma) frames rather than as competing ultimates.