Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 31
Solar Rays, Planetary Nourishment, Dhruva-Bondage of the Grahas, and the Lunar Cycle
क्षीणायितं सुरैः सोममाप्यायति नित्यदा / एकेन रश्मिना विप्राः सुषुम्नाख्येन भास्करः
kṣīṇāyitaṃ suraiḥ somamāpyāyati nityadā / ekena raśminā viprāḥ suṣumnākhyena bhāskaraḥ
Ó brāhmaṇas, quando Soma (a Lua) se encontra minguado—como que ‘bebido’ pelos deuses—Bhāskara (o Sol) o reabastece continuamente por um único raio chamado Suṣumnā.
Narrator (Purāṇic discourse to the sages/brāhmaṇas)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
Indirectly, it points to an ordered, law-governed cosmos (ṛta) where celestial processes are sustained by a higher regulating principle—often read in Purāṇic theology as the Lord’s governance underlying visible phenomena.
No practice is taught explicitly, but the term “Suṣumnā” invites a yogic resonance: just as a central channel is pivotal in Yoga-shāstra, a single ‘central’ ray is described as sustaining Soma—supporting contemplations on inner–outer correspondences used in meditative reflection.
The verse is primarily cosmological, yet it fits the Kurma Purana’s synthetic vision: the same supreme governance that devotees attribute to Hari or Hara is shown as maintaining cosmic balance through the Sun–Moon cycle.