Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 9
Measure of the Three Worlds, Planetary Spheres, and Sūrya as the Root of Trailokya
द्वेलक्षे ह्युत्तरे विप्रा बुधो नक्षत्रमण्डलात् / तावत्प्रमाणभागे तु बुधस्याप्युशनाः स्थितः
dvelakṣe hyuttare viprā budho nakṣatramaṇḍalāt / tāvatpramāṇabhāge tu budhasyāpyuśanāḥ sthitaḥ
O mga brāhmaṇa, ang Budha (Merkuryo) ay nasa dalawang lakṣa sa ibabaw ng bilog ng mga nakṣatra. At sa loob ng pook na may gayon ding sukat, ang Uśanā (Benus) ay nakapuwesto sa ibabaw ni Budha.
Narrator (Purāṇic discourse to the sages/brāhmaṇas; cosmography section)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
Indirectly: by mapping ordered cosmic levels, the verse supports the Purāṇic method of contemplating the universe as structured and law-governed—an aid to viveka (discernment) that ultimately turns the mind toward the transcendent Self beyond all spheres.
The verse itself is cosmographic, but it aligns with dhyāna-based practice: practitioners visualize graded cosmic layers (nakṣatra-sphere, then Budha, then Śukra) to steady attention and cultivate a sāttvika, contemplative mind—often used as a preparatory support for higher meditation taught elsewhere in the Kurma Purana.
It does not explicitly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu; however, in the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis, such cosmology is presented as part of a single sacred order governed by the one Supreme reality revered through multiple divine forms.