Shloka 38
Īśvara-gītā (Adhyāya 2) — Ātma-svarūpa, Māyā, and the Unity of Sāṅkhya–Yoga
तस्माद् विज्ञानमेवास्ति न प्रपञ्चो न संसृतिः / अज्ञानेनावृतं लोको विज्ञानं तेन मुह्यति
tasmād vijñānamevāsti na prapañco na saṃsṛtiḥ / ajñānenāvṛtaṃ loko vijñānaṃ tena muhyati
तस्माद् विज्ञानमेवास्ति; न प्रपञ्चो न संसृतिः। अज्ञानेनावृतो लोको विज्ञानं तेन मुह्यति॥
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) teaching in the Ishvara Gita discourse
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
It asserts a non-dual standpoint: Reality is Knowledge itself (vijñāna/Brahman-Atman), while the world-appearance and saṃsāra are not ultimately real; bondage persists only because ignorance obscures this truth.
The verse points to Jñāna-Yoga as the liberating method: viveka (discrimination) to pierce ajñāna, leading to direct realization (vijñāna). In the Kurma Purana’s Ishvara Gita setting, this complements Pāśupata-oriented discipline by grounding practice in right knowledge.
By teaching a single non-dual Reality beyond prapañca and saṃsāra, it supports the Purana’s synthesis: sectarian forms differ, but the realized Knowledge of the one Ishvara (honored as Shiva or Vishnu) is the same.