Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 29
Nine Creations (Sarga), Guṇa-Streams of Beings, and Brahmā’s Progeny in Cyclic Time
तं प्राह भगवान् ब्रह्मा जन्ममृत्युयुताः प्रजाः / सृजेति सो ऽब्रवीदीशो नाहं मृत्युजरान्विताः / प्रजाः स्त्रक्ष्ये जगन्नाथ सृज त्वमशुभाः प्रजाः
taṃ prāha bhagavān brahmā janmamṛtyuyutāḥ prajāḥ / sṛjeti so 'bravīdīśo nāhaṃ mṛtyujarānvitāḥ / prajāḥ strakṣye jagannātha sṛja tvamaśubhāḥ prajāḥ
Bhagavān Brahmā berkata kepadanya, “Ciptakanlah makhluk yang terikat pada kelahiran dan kematian.” Namun Tuhan itu menjawab, “Wahai Jagannātha, aku tidak akan mencipta keturunan yang ditimpa maut dan tua; engkau sendiri ciptakan makhluk yang tidak suci (mortal) itu.”
Narrator (Purāṇic narration) describing a dialogue between Brahmā and Īśa (Rudra/Shiva)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
By contrasting the Lord’s purity with mortal limitation, the verse implies that the highest Īśvara/Ātman is not intrinsically bound by decay (jarā) and death (mṛtyu); mortality pertains to conditioned creation, not to the supreme principle.
No technique is taught directly; however, the theme supports Pāśupata-style renunciation and disidentification from birth-death conditioning—an orientation that later matures into disciplined Yoga and devotion to Īśvara beyond saṃsāra.
Using titles like Īśa and Jagannātha within a single theological frame, the passage reflects the Kurma Purana’s integrative approach: cosmic functions are distributed among divine forms while pointing to a unified supreme lordship underlying them.