Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 35
Cosmic Manifestation, Mahāmāyā’s Mandate, Varṇāśrama-Dharma, and the Unity of the Trimūrti
स्वायंभुवो मनुः पूर्वं धर्मान् प्रोवाच धर्मदृक् / साक्षात् प्रजापतेर्मूर्तिर्निसृष्टा ब्रह्मणा द्विजाः / भृग्वादयस्तद्वदनाच्छ्रुत्वा धर्मानथोचिरे
svāyaṃbhuvo manuḥ pūrvaṃ dharmān provāca dharmadṛk / sākṣāt prajāpatermūrtirnisṛṣṭā brahmaṇā dvijāḥ / bhṛgvādayastadvadanācchrutvā dharmānathocire
Noong unang panahon, si Svayambhuva Manu—ang nakakakita ng Dharma—ay nagturo ng mga batas ng katuwiran. Ang mga pantas na dvija, gaya nina Bhṛgu at iba pa, ay nilikha ni Brahmā bilang mismong anyo ni Prajāpati; nang marinig nila ang mga dharma mula sa bibig ni Manu, sila naman ang nagpalaganap at nagpahayag nito.
Narrator (Purana voice, traditionally Suta/Vyasa lineage) describing the parampara of Dharma
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
Indirectly: it frames Dharma as a revealed and transmitted order rooted in cosmic creation (Prajāpati/Brahmā), implying that spiritual truth and right living are aligned with the deeper, sustaining reality that later teachings identify with the supreme principle.
No specific yogic technique is taught in this verse; it establishes the authority-chain (Manu → sages) through which later Kurma Purana teachings—such as dharma-based sādhanā and Pāśupata-oriented disciplines—are authenticated.
It does not name Śiva or Viṣṇu explicitly; instead, it emphasizes a shared Purāṇic principle: dharma is safeguarded by a single sacred tradition (paramparā) that later supports the Kurma Purana’s integrative Shaiva–Vaishnava theology.