Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 19
Lineage of Vyāsas, Division of the Veda, and Vāsudeva/Īśāna as the Veda-Known Supreme
सामवेदं सहस्त्रेण शाखानां प्रबिभेद सः / अथर्वाणमथो वेदं बिभेद नवकेन तु
sāmavedaṃ sahastreṇa śākhānāṃ prabibheda saḥ / atharvāṇamatho vedaṃ bibheda navakena tu
พระองค์ทรงแบ่งสามเวทเป็นหนึ่งพันสาขา และทรงแบ่งอถรรพเวทเป็นเก้าสาขา
Suta (traditional Purana narrator) describing Vyasa’s Veda-vibhaga
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
This verse does not directly define Ātman; it emphasizes the preservation and accessibility of Vedic revelation through systematic division into śākhās, which supports later inquiry into Brahman/Ātman via transmitted śruti.
No specific yoga practice is taught in this verse; its focus is the organization of Vedic recensions. In the Kurma Purana’s broader framework, such śruti-structure undergirds dharma and the disciplines (including yoga) taught elsewhere, especially in later doctrinal sections.
It does not explicitly address Śiva–Viṣṇu unity; it presents Vyāsa’s Vedic arrangement, a shared scriptural foundation revered across Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava traditions within the Kurma Purana’s synthesis.