Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 8
Bhūrloka-Vyavasthā — The Seven Dvīpas, Seven Oceans, and the Meru-Centered Order of Jambūdvīpa
मूले षोडशसाहस्त्रो विस्तारस्तस्य सर्वतः / भूपद्मास्यास्य शैलो ऽसौ कर्णिकात्वेन संस्थितः
mūle ṣoḍaśasāhastro vistārastasya sarvataḥ / bhūpadmāsyāsya śailo 'sau karṇikātvena saṃsthitaḥ
Pada pangkalnya, luasnya mencapai enam belas ribu yojana ke segala arah. Gunung itu berdiri sebagai “karnika”, yakni teras pusat bagi teratai Bumi ini.
Primary narrator (Purāṇic discourse; traditionally Sūta narrating Vyāsa’s teaching to the sages)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
This verse is primarily cosmographic, presenting the world as an ordered lotus-like structure; in Kurma Purana’s broader synthesis, such ordered design is read as reflecting an intelligent, dharma-governed cosmos upheld by Īśvara, within which the Self seeks liberation.
No direct yogic practice is taught in this line; it supports contemplative practice indirectly by offering a sacred-geography visualization (bhūpadma/earth-lotus) used for dhyāna on cosmic order and the central axis (karṇikā) as a meditative symbol.
This specific verse does not mention Śiva or Viṣṇu; however, within the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis, the structured cosmos described here is typically understood as sustained by one supreme Īśvara, approached through both Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava idioms.