Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 6
Prākṛta Sṛṣṭi and Pralaya: From Pradhāna to Brahmāṇḍa; Trimūrti Samanvaya
अव्यक्तं कारणं यत्तन्नित्यं सदसदात्मकम् / प्रधानं प्रकृतिश्चेति यदाहुस्तत्त्वचिन्तकाः
avyaktaṃ kāraṇaṃ yattannityaṃ sadasadātmakam / pradhānaṃ prakṛtiśceti yadāhustattvacintakāḥ
Prinsip yang tidak termanifest itu, yang disebut sebagai dasar sebab-musabab—kekal, bersifat sekaligus ada dan tiada—oleh para pengamat tattva dinamai Pradhāna, atau Prakṛti.
Narrator/Sage (Purāṇic discourse framing the cosmological teaching)
Primary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It distinguishes the unmanifest causal ground (Pradhāna/Prakṛti) from the ultimate Self: the verse defines Nature as the eternal causal substrate with sat–asat characteristics, implying that Atman/Iśvara is the knower and transcendent principle, not merely the material cause.
No specific technique is prescribed in this verse; it supplies the metaphysical basis used in Kurma Purana’s yoga-teachings—discriminative insight (viveka) between the unmanifest Prakṛti (cause) and the conscious principle sought through dhyāna and inner discernment.
Indirectly: by grounding creation in a shared Sāṅkhya vocabulary (Pradhāna/Prakṛti), the text supports the Purāṇic non-sectarian synthesis where the same supreme reality is approached through Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava frames, while Prakṛti remains the common material principle.