Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 7
Incarnations of Mahādeva in Kali-yuga (Vaivasvata Manvantara) and the Nakulīśa Horizon
द्वादशे ऽत्रिः समाख्यातो बली चाथ त्रयोदशे / चतुर्दशे गौतमस्तु वेदशीर्षा ततः परम्
dvādaśe 'triḥ samākhyāto balī cātha trayodaśe / caturdaśe gautamastu vedaśīrṣā tataḥ param
ในลำดับที่สิบสองประกาศว่า อตริ; ในลำดับที่สิบสามคือ พลี. ในลำดับที่สิบสี่กล่าวถึง โคตมะ; และถัดจากนั้นคือ เวทศีรษะ
Narrator-sage (Purāṇic discourse tradition, within the Kurma Purana’s genealogical/chronological narration)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
This verse does not directly teach Ātman-doctrine; it functions as a chronological listing of named sages and figures across successive cycles, supporting the Purāṇic framework within which later metaphysical teachings (e.g., in the Ishvara Gītā) are situated.
No specific yoga practice is described in this line. Its purpose is archival: to index successive cycles by their associated sages/figures, which helps readers locate where dharma and yoga teachings are anchored in the larger Purāṇic timeline.
It does not explicitly address Śiva–Viṣṇu unity; it is a naming verse. In the Kurma Purana’s broader synthesis, such chronological catalogues provide the narrative scaffold for later sections that articulate the harmony of Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava viewpoints.