Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 42
Measure of the Three Worlds, Planetary Spheres, and Sūrya as the Root of Trailokya
रुद्रेन्द्रोपेन्द्रचन्द्राणां विप्रेन्द्राणां दिवौकसाम् / द्युतिर्द्युतिमतां कृत्स्नं यत्तेजः सार्वलौकिकम्
rudrendropendracandrāṇāṃ viprendrāṇāṃ divaukasām / dyutirdyutimatāṃ kṛtsnaṃ yattejaḥ sārvalaukikam
Esse fulgor universal—pelo qual resplandecem Rudra, Indra, Upendra (Viṣṇu) e a Lua; pelo qual brilham os brâmanes mais excelsos e os habitantes do céu—é a plenitude do esplendor de todos os seres luminosos.
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing on the Supreme Ishvara as the source of all tejas
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It presents the Supreme as the single, universal tejas (radiant consciousness) that empowers even the greatest gods and all luminous beings—implying that their glory is derivative, while the Atman/Ishvara is the foundational light.
The verse supports Ishvara-dhyana typical of the Kurma Purana’s Pashupata-leaning synthesis: meditation on the one source of all splendour (tejas), withdrawing attention from secondary powers and fixing the mind on the universal Lord as the inner light.
By listing Rudra and Upendra as equally dependent on the same universal tejas, it frames Shiva and Vishnu within a non-competitive unity: both manifest glory through the one Ishvara who is the common source.