Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 3
Devī-tattva, Śakti–Śaktimān doctrine, Kāla–Māyā cosmology, and Māheśvara Yoga instruction
अर्धनारीनरवपुः दुष्प्रेक्ष्यो ऽतिभयङ्करः / विभजात्मानमित्युक्त्वा ब्रह्मा चान्तर्दधे भयात्
ardhanārīnaravapuḥ duṣprekṣyo 'tibhayaṅkaraḥ / vibhajātmānamityuktvā brahmā cāntardadhe bhayāt
พระองค์ทรงมีรูปกายครึ่งนารีครึ่งนร ยากแก่การเพ่งมองและน่าสะพรึงยิ่ง ตรัสว่า “จงแบ่งตนเอง” แล้วพรหมาด้วยความหวาดกลัวก็อันตรธานไป
Narrator (Purāṇic narrator describing Brahmā’s encounter with a terrifying Ardhanārī form, implying a Rudra/Śiva-tattva manifestation)
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
By presenting a single being that contains both male and female aspects, the verse hints at a unitary reality that can manifest as differentiated forms; the command “divide yourself” points to emanation from an undivided source into plurality.
No direct yogic technique is taught in this verse; its contribution is doctrinal—showing awe before the higher tattva. In the Kurma Purana’s broader Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis, such awe (bhaya mixed with reverence) supports humility and surrender, which become prerequisites for disciplined sādhanā like Pāśupata-oriented devotion and restraint.
Through the Ardhanārī motif (classically associated with Śiva) within a Purāṇic framework that later emphasizes synthesis, the verse supports the idea that supreme divinity can appear in multiple theological idioms—Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava—without contradiction, as manifestations of one overarching reality.