Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 49
Nine Creations (Sarga), Guṇa-Streams of Beings, and Brahmā’s Progeny in Cyclic Time
ततः स भगवान् ब्रह्मा संप्राप्य द्विजपुङ्गवाः / मूर्ति तमोरजः प्रायां पुनरेवाभ्ययूयुजत्
tataḥ sa bhagavān brahmā saṃprāpya dvijapuṅgavāḥ / mūrti tamorajaḥ prāyāṃ punarevābhyayūyujat
Kemudian Brahmā, Tuhan Yang Mulia—wahai yang terunggul antara yang dua-kali-lahir—setelah mendekati kamu, sekali lagi mengikat diri pada suatu wujud yang didominasi tamas dan rajas, agar kerja penzahiran dapat diteruskan.
Sūta (narrator) describing Brahmā’s cosmic function to the assembled sages
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
By implying that Brahmā’s creative activity operates through guṇas (tamas and rajas), the verse points to a higher principle beyond guṇas—the guṇātīta Self—while creation proceeds within prakṛti’s modalities.
The verse itself is cosmological, but it supports the Kurma Purana’s yogic thrust: liberation requires discernment (viveka) between the guṇa-bound functions of creation and the guṇa-transcending witness; this becomes the basis for meditation on the Self/Iśvara beyond rajas-tamas agitation.
Indirectly: it frames cosmic governance as role-based within guṇas (Brahmā as creator), while the Purana’s broader synthesis holds the supreme Iśvara—revered in both Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava idioms—as the transcendent ground beyond guṇas.