Shloka 31
Invocation, Purāṇa Lakṣaṇas, Kurma at the Samudra-manthana, and Indradyumna’s Liberation Teaching
Iśvara-Gītā Prelude
तेजसा विष्णुमव्यक्तं नारदाद्या महर्षयः / मोहिताः सह शक्रेण श्रियो वचनमब्रुवन्
tejasā viṣṇumavyaktaṃ nāradādyā maharṣayaḥ / mohitāḥ saha śakreṇa śriyo vacanamabruvan
అవ్యక్త విష్ణువు తేజస్సుతో మోహితులైన నారదాది మహర్షులు, శక్రుడితో కూడి, శ్రీ (లక్ష్మీ)ని ఉద్దేశించి వచనములు పలికిరి।
Narrator (Purāṇic voice, traditionally Sūta/compilers) describing the sages’ reaction
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
By calling Viṣṇu “avyakta” (unmanifest) and describing His “tejas” as overpowering, the verse points to the Supreme as beyond ordinary perception—known not as an object, but as a transcendent reality whose presence can eclipse the mind’s usual grasp.
No specific technique is prescribed in this verse, but the motif is yogic: the mind becomes “mohita” when confronted with overwhelming divine brilliance, implying the need for inner steadiness (dhyāna, samādhi-like composure) and guidance through devotion—here, by approaching Śrī (Lakṣmī) as an intercessor.
While Śiva is not named here, the verse reflects a shared Purāṇic theology central to the Kūrma tradition: the Supreme is “unmanifest” and approached through divine śakti (Śrī). This prepares the ground for later Kurma Purana synthesis where sectarian forms (Śiva/Viṣṇu) are presented as converging toward one transcendent reality.