Shloka 13
Commencement of the Upari-bhāga: The Sages Request Brahma-vidyā; Vyāsa Recalls the Badarikā Inquiry and Śiva–Viṣṇu Theophany
ज्ञानं विमुक्तिदं दिव्यं यन्मे साक्षात् त्वयोदितम् / मुनीनां व्याहृतं पूर्वं विष्णुना कूर्मरूपिणा
jñānaṃ vimuktidaṃ divyaṃ yanme sākṣāt tvayoditam / munīnāṃ vyāhṛtaṃ pūrvaṃ viṣṇunā kūrmarūpiṇā
यन्मे त्वया साक्षादुक्तं विमुक्तिदं दिव्यं ज्ञानं, तत्पूर्वं कूर्मरूपिणा विष्णुना मुनीनां व्याहृतम्।
A sage/narrator addressing the deity (Lord Kurma/Vishnu) within the Ishvara Gita frame
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It presents liberating jñāna as divinely revealed (not merely intellectual), implying that realization of the Self is gained through direct instruction and transmission rooted in the Supreme—here identified with Viṣṇu/Kūrma.
This verse foregrounds jñāna as the core means to mokṣa; in the Ishvara Gita context, such knowledge is typically integrated with disciplined Yoga and Pāśupata-oriented devotion—knowledge received from the Lord and assimilated through practice.
By framing the teaching as “Ishvara Gita” while explicitly naming Viṣṇu as Kūrma, it supports the Kurma Purana’s synthetic stance: the supreme teaching of liberation can be voiced through Viṣṇu as Īśvara, aligning Shaiva and Vaishnava theological language toward one liberating truth.