Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 20
Time-Reckoning (Kāla-gaṇanā): Yugas, Manvantaras, Kalpas, and Prākṛta Pralaya
अनादिरेष भगवान् कालो ऽनन्तो ऽजरो ऽमरः / सर्वगत्वात् स्वतन्त्रत्वात् सर्वात्मासौ महेश्वरः
anādireṣa bhagavān kālo 'nanto 'jaro 'maraḥ / sarvagatvāt svatantratvāt sarvātmāsau maheśvaraḥ
Dia tidak berpermulaan—Tuhan Yang Mulia sebagai Kala (Masa): tidak berhingga, tidak lapuk, dan tidak mati. Kerana Dia meliputi segala-galanya dan sepenuhnya merdeka, Mahā-īśvara itulah Ātman, Diri yang bersemayam dalam semua makhluk.
A narrator/sage voice praising Maheshvara (within the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It identifies Maheshvara as sarvātmā—the indwelling Self of all—beginningless, infinite, and untouched by decay or death, indicating the Supreme as the inner reality present in every being.
The verse supports Īśvara-centered meditation: contemplate the Lord as all-pervading (sarvagata) and independent (svatantra), a classic basis for one-pointed devotion (bhakti) and inner absorption (dhyāna/samādhi) aligned with Pāśupata-oriented theism in the Kurma Purana.
By using the title Maheshvara while describing the Supreme in universal, all-pervading terms, it fits the Kurma Purana’s synthesis where the highest reality is one—revered through Shaiva names and also harmonizable with Vaishnava “Bhagavān,” emphasizing unity rather than sectarian separation.