Shloka 101
Prākṛta-pralaya, Pratisarga Doctrine, and the Ishvara-Samanvaya of Yoga and Devotion
यथात्म्यकथनं चाथ लिङ्गाविर्भाव एव च / ब्रह्मविष्णोस्तथा मध्ये कीर्तितो मुनिपुङ्गवाः
yathātmyakathanaṃ cātha liṅgāvirbhāva eva ca / brahmaviṣṇostathā madhye kīrtito munipuṅgavāḥ
अथ मुनिपुङ्गवाः आत्मतत्त्वस्य यथात्म्यकथनं लिङ्गाविर्भावश्च; तथा ब्रह्मविष्णोर्मध्ये स्थितं लिङ्गं कीर्तितं च।
Sūta (narrator) addressing the sages (Munis) in a topic-summary style
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It signals that the chapter includes a yathātmyakathana—an authoritative exposition of reality-as-it-is—linking Self-knowledge with the recognition of the supreme principle symbolized by the Liṅga.
This specific verse functions as a thematic pointer rather than a practice-instruction: it frames the teaching as moving from metaphysical truth (ātman/yathātmyam) to a revelatory sacred symbol (Liṅga), a common Purāṇic basis for contemplative devotion (dhyāna) and inner inquiry (ātma-vicāra) in later passages.
By recalling the Liṅga ‘between Brahmā and Viṣṇu,’ it evokes the Lingodbhava motif where sectarian rivalry yields to a higher, unifying reality—supporting the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis.