Invocation, Purāṇa Lakṣaṇas, Kurma at the Samudra-manthana, and Indradyumna’s Liberation Teaching
Iśvara-Gītā Prelude
कथं स भगवानीशः शाश्वतो निष्कलो ऽच्युतः / ज्ञातुं हि शक्यते देवि ब्रूहि मे परमेश्वरि
kathaṃ sa bhagavānīśaḥ śāśvato niṣkalo 'cyutaḥ / jñātuṃ hi śakyate devi brūhi me parameśvari
హే దేవి, ఆ భగవానీశుడు—శాశ్వతుడు, నిష్కలుడు, అచ్యుతుడు—నిజంగా ఎలా తెలిసివచ్చును? హే పరమేశ్వరి, నాకు చెప్పుము।
A devotee/inquirer addressing the Goddess (Devi) within the Ishvara Gita setting of the Kurma Purana
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
It frames the Supreme as eternal and partless (niṣkala), implying a reality beyond material divisions—known not as an object, but through inner realization and divine instruction.
The verse itself is an inquiry (jijñāsā) that sets up the Ishvara Gita’s method: approaching the divine teacher, receiving upadeśa, and pursuing contemplative knowledge—typically elaborated as disciplined meditation and devotion aligned with Pāśupata-oriented Śaiva-Vaiṣṇava synthesis.
By using Īśa (often Śaiva) alongside Acuta (a Vaiṣṇava epithet), it signals the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian, integrative vision of one Supreme Lord spoken of through multiple divine names.