Invocation, Purāṇa Lakṣaṇas, Kurma at the Samudra-manthana, and Indradyumna’s Liberation Teaching
Iśvara-Gītā Prelude
न मां पश्यन्ति मुनयो देवाः शक्रपुरोगमाः / नारायणात्मिका चैका मायाहं तन्मया परा
na māṃ paśyanti munayo devāḥ śakrapurogamāḥ / nārāyaṇātmikā caikā māyāhaṃ tanmayā parā
न मां पश्यन्ति मुनयो देवाः शक्रपुरोगमाः । नारायणात्मिका चैका मायाहं तन्मया परा ॥
Lord Kūrma (as the Supreme Lord teaching the Īśvara-gītā)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
It teaches that the Supreme is not grasped even by gods and sages through ordinary perception; the Lord transcends their vision, while His own power (Māyā) both reveals and veils reality.
The verse implies the need for inner realization (dhyāna/jñāna grounded in īśvara-bhakti), since sensory or intellectual “seeing” is insufficient; one must pierce Māyā through disciplined Yoga aligned with the Lord’s grace.
By presenting the Supreme as beyond the reach of even Indra and the devas and identifying divine Māyā as the Lord’s own śakti, the text supports the Purāṇic synthesis where the one Supreme (Īśvara) is approached through both Vaiṣṇava (Nārāyaṇa) and Śaiva (Īśvara/Śakti) theological language.