Shloka 14
Īśvara-gītā: Vibhūtis of the Supreme Lord and the Paśu–Paśupati Doctrine of Bondage and Release
सर्ववेदार्थविदुषां मनुः स्वायंभुवो ऽस्म्यहम् / ब्रह्मावर्तस्तु देशानां क्षेत्राणामविमुक्तकम्
sarvavedārthaviduṣāṃ manuḥ svāyaṃbhuvo 'smyaham / brahmāvartastu deśānāṃ kṣetrāṇāmavimuktakam
ในหมู่ผู้รู้ความหมายแห่งพระเวททั้งปวงอย่างแท้จริง เราคือสวายัมภูวมนู; ในหมู่แว่นแคว้น เราคือพรหมาวรรตะ; และในหมู่กษेत्रะแสวงบุญ เราคืออวิมุกตกะ.
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) speaking in a didactic register
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
By using the formula “among X, I am Y,” the speaker asserts an immanent supremacy: the Divine is present as the highest principle within every class—here, as the archetypal lawgiver (Manu) and as the most sanctifying regions—implying the One Reality pervades and crowns all hierarchies.
No specific technique is prescribed in this verse; instead it frames a Purāṇic yogic orientation where sādhana is supported by dharma and tīrtha—seeking purity through alignment with Vedic meaning (jñāna) and sanctifying environments (kṣetra-sevā, tīrtha-yātrā), which in the Kaurma tradition complements disciplined yoga.
Though Shiva is not named, the choice of Avimuktaka (widely associated with Kāśī, a major Śaiva kṣetra) as the supreme sacred field voiced by a Vishnu-form (Kurma) reflects the Kurma Purana’s integrative stance—honoring Śaiva tīrthas within a Vaishnava divine voice, consistent with Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis.