Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 98
Invocation, Purāṇa Lakṣaṇas, Kurma at the Samudra-manthana, and Indradyumna’s Liberation Teaching
Iśvara-Gītā Prelude
तीर्थान्यर्कादिसंस्थानं पृथिव्यायामविस्तरे / कति द्वीपाः समुद्राश्च पर्वताश्च नदीनदाः / ब्रूहि मे पुण्डरीकाक्ष यथावदधुनाखिलम्
tīrthānyarkādisaṃsthānaṃ pṛthivyāyāmavistare / kati dvīpāḥ samudrāśca parvatāśca nadīnadāḥ / brūhi me puṇḍarīkākṣa yathāvadadhunākhilam
“Ipahayag mo sa akin nang ganap, O Panginoong may matang-lotus, ang mga banal na pook-paglalakbay (tīrtha) at ang kaayusan ng Araw at iba pang mga tanglaw sa langit. At sa malawak na lawak ng daigdig—ilan ang mga kontinente, karagatan, bundok, mga ilog at batis? Ipaliwanag mo sa akin ang lahat nang wasto, dito at ngayon.”
King Indradyumna (questioning Lord Kurma/Vishnu)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
This verse does not directly define Ātman; it frames a devotional inquiry to the Lotus-eyed Lord, implying that true knowledge—cosmic and earthly—becomes reliable when received from the Supreme source who underlies both the cosmos and dharma.
No specific yoga technique is taught in this verse; the practice implied is śravaṇa (reverent listening) and right inquiry (jijñāsā) directed to Īśvara, which the Kurma Purana later integrates with disciplined paths like Pāśupata-oriented devotion and dharmic observance.
While Shiva is not named here, the verse reflects the Purana’s harmonizing method: authoritative cosmological and tirtha knowledge is sought from Vishnu/Kūrma, within a text that elsewhere presents Shaiva and Vaishnava teachings as mutually supportive rather than opposed.