Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 23
Solar Rays, Planetary Nourishment, Dhruva-Bondage of the Grahas, and the Lunar Cycle
वसन्ते कपिलः सूर्यो ग्रीष्मे काञ्चनसप्रभः / श्वेतो वर्षासु वर्णेन पाण्डुरः शरदि प्रभुः / हेमन्ते ताम्रवर्णः स्याच्छिशिरे लोहितो रविः
vasante kapilaḥ sūryo grīṣme kāñcanasaprabhaḥ / śveto varṣāsu varṇena pāṇḍuraḥ śaradi prabhuḥ / hemante tāmravarṇaḥ syācchiśire lohito raviḥ
Pada musim bunga, Surya berwarna keperangan; pada musim panas, Baginda bersinar dengan cahaya keemasan. Pada musim hujan, Baginda tampak putih; pada musim luruh, Sang Penguasa kelihatan pucat. Pada hemanta Baginda menjadi berwarna tembaga, dan pada śiśira Ravi tampak merah.
Narratorial/Didactic voice within the Purāṇic discourse (describing cosmic order and ṛtu-dharma); traditionally framed as instruction within the Kurma Purana’s teaching lineage
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
Indirectly: by showing the Sun’s changing appearances across seasons, the verse points to shifting guṇic manifestations in prakṛti, while the underlying cosmic order (ṛta/dharma) remains constant—hinting at an unchanging ground behind changing forms.
No specific āsana or mantra is taught here; the yogic takeaway is contemplative alignment with ṛtu-cakra (seasonal order). Such observation supports dhyāna by training steadiness of attention and reverence for niyati (cosmic law), a common Purāṇic aid to sādhana.
It does not explicitly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu; however, in the Kurma Purana’s synthesis, orderly cosmic functions (like Sūrya’s seasonal forms) are understood as expressions of the one Īśvara’s governance—often harmonized across Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava frames.