Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 19
Cosmic Realms Above Dhruva, the Pātālas Below, and the Foundation of Pralaya
Ananta–Kāla
सुपर्णेन मुनिश्रेष्ठास्तथा वासुकिना शुभम् / रसातलमिति ख्यातं तथान्यैश्च निषेवितम्
suparṇena muniśreṣṭhāstathā vāsukinā śubham / rasātalamiti khyātaṃ tathānyaiśca niṣevitam
ఓ మునిశ్రేష్ఠులారా, ఆ శుభ లోకం ‘రసాతలము’ అని ఖ్యాతి పొందింది; దానిని సుపర్ణుడు (గరుడుడు) మరియు వాసుకి కూడా సేవించారు, ఇతరులచేత కూడా అది ఆశ్రయించబడింది।
Narrator (Purāṇic sage describing cosmic geography to assembled sages)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
This verse is primarily cosmographical, naming Rasātala and its renowned visitors; it does not directly teach Ātman-doctrine, but supports the Purāṇic view of an ordered cosmos within which dharma and spiritual instruction unfold.
No explicit yoga practice is taught in this line; its function is to situate the listener in Purāṇic geography, a common prelude to later dharma-yoga teachings (including Pāśupata-oriented instruction elsewhere in the Kūrma Purāṇa).
The verse does not mention Śiva or Viṣṇu directly; indirectly, it reflects the shared Purāṇic cosmology accepted across Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava strands, within which later syntheses (Śiva–Viṣṇu unity themes) are articulated.