Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 45
Īśvara-Gītā (continued): Twofold Yoga, Aṣṭāṅga Discipline, Pāśupata Meditation, and the Unity of Nārāyaṇa–Maheśvara
एकं पादमथैकस्मिन् विन्यस्योरुणि सत्तमाः / आसीतार्धासनमिदं योगसाधनमुत्तमम्
ekaṃ pādamathaikasmin vinyasyoruṇi sattamāḥ / āsītārdhāsanamidaṃ yogasādhanamuttamam
ஓ சத்தமர்களே, ஒரு பாதத்தை எதிர்த் தொடையின் மேல் வைத்து அமர்வது—இதுவே அர்த்தாசனம்; யோக சாதனைக்கு சிறந்த துணை.
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing sages/King Indradyumna in the Ishvara Gita context
Primary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
Indirectly: by prescribing a stabilizing yogic posture, it supports the inward discipline through which the yogin becomes fit for Self-knowledge (ātma-jñāna), a key aim of the Ishvara Gita’s spiritual path.
It highlights āsana as a foundational limb of practice: Ardhasana (half-seat), formed by placing one foot on the opposite thigh, is praised as an excellent support for steadiness required in meditation and Pashupata-oriented yogic discipline.
By placing yogic instruction in the mouth of Lord Kurma while framing it within Pashupata-style discipline, the text models a Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis: Vishnu teaches a yoga idiom strongly associated with Shiva’s ascetic tradition.