Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 7
Bhūrloka-Vyavasthā — The Seven Dvīpas, Seven Oceans, and the Meru-Centered Order of Jambūdvīpa
चतुरशीतिसाहस्त्रो योजनैस्तस्य चोच्छ्रयः / प्रविष्टः षोडशाधस्ताद्द्वात्रिंशन्मूर्ध्नि विस्तृतः
caturaśītisāhastro yojanaistasya cocchrayaḥ / praviṣṭaḥ ṣoḍaśādhastāddvātriṃśanmūrdhni vistṛtaḥ
Ketinggiannya ialah lapan puluh empat ribu yojana. Ia menjulur enam belas ribu yojana ke bawah (permukaan bumi), dan di puncaknya melebar hingga tiga puluh dua ribu yojana.
Sūta (narrating Purāṇic cosmography as taught in the Kurma Purana tradition)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
This verse is primarily cosmographical, giving measurements of Meru; indirectly, it situates spiritual teaching within an ordered cosmos governed by dharma, implying an intelligible, law-bound reality supportive of Self-knowledge rather than describing Ātman directly.
No explicit yoga practice is taught in this verse; its function is to map the sacred cosmos. In the Kurma Purana’s broader Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis, such cosmography frames pilgrimage, ritual orientation, and contemplations that support disciplined practice (yoga) and dharma.
It does not mention Shiva or Vishnu explicitly; however, as part of the Kurma Purana’s integrated teaching, cosmological order is presented as upheld by the same supreme principle revered through both Shaiva and Vaishnava lenses.