Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 45
Divine Abodes on the Mountains — A Sacred Survey of Jambūdvīpa
Kailāsa to Siddha Realms
अञ्जनस्य गिरेः शृङ्गे नारीणां पुरमुत्तमम् / वसन्ति तत्राप्सरसो रम्भाद्या रतिलालसाः
añjanasya gireḥ śṛṅge nārīṇāṃ puramuttamam / vasanti tatrāpsaraso rambhādyā ratilālasāḥ
No cume do monte Añjana ergue-se a mais excelente cidade das mulheres. Ali habitam as Apsarās—lideradas por Rambhā—sempre ávidas de deleite e de jogos amorosos.
Sūta (narrator) recounting Purāṇic sacred geography to the sages (Naimiṣāraṇya frame)
Primary Rasa: shringara
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
This verse is descriptive cosmography rather than direct ātma-jñāna instruction; it situates a celestial locale, while the Purāṇa’s later doctrinal sections (notably the Upari-bhāga/Iśvara-gītā) provide explicit teaching on the Self beyond sense-pleasure.
No specific yoga practice is taught in this verse. Indirectly, by portraying beings “eager for pleasure,” it sets a contrast to the Kurma Purana’s later emphasis on restraint (saṃyama), devotion (bhakti), and disciplined practice associated with Pāśupata-oriented Śaiva-Vaiṣṇava synthesis.
It does not directly address Śiva–Viṣṇu unity; it functions as mythic geography. The Kurma Purana’s non-dual harmonization of Śiva and Viṣṇu is articulated more explicitly in later theological dialogues rather than in this scenic description.