Invocation, Purāṇa Lakṣaṇas, Kurma at the Samudra-manthana, and Indradyumna’s Liberation Teaching
Iśvara-Gītā Prelude
यत्र धर्मार्थकामानां मोक्षस्य च मुनीश्वराः / माहात्म्यमखिलं ब्रह्म ज्ञायते परमेश्वरः
yatra dharmārthakāmānāṃ mokṣasya ca munīśvarāḥ / māhātmyamakhilaṃ brahma jñāyate parameśvaraḥ
అక్కడ, ఓ మునీశ్వరులారా, ధర్మ-అర్థ-కామములు మరియు మోక్షముతో కూడి పరమేశ్వరస్వరూపమైన బ్రహ్మ యొక్క సమగ్ర మహాత్మ్యం తెలిసిపోతుంది.
Sūta (narrator) addressing the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
It frames the highest reality as Brahman who is also Parameśvara, indicating that liberation (mokṣa) comes through knowing the Absolute as the Supreme Lord, not merely as an abstract principle.
This verse is programmatic rather than procedural: it points to jñāna (right knowledge of Brahman/Īśvara) as the core means tied to mokṣa, with the Kurma Purana later elaborating discipline and devotion-oriented practice (including Pāśupata-Yoga themes).
By identifying Brahman with Parameśvara, it supports the Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis: the Supreme is one reality approached through Īśvara-language that can harmonize Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava devotion in later sections.