Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 59
Prākṛta Sṛṣṭi and Pralaya: From Pradhāna to Brahmāṇḍa; Trimūrti Samanvaya
बृहत्त्वाच्च स्मृतो ब्रह्मा परत्वात् परमेश्वरः / वशित्वादप्यवश्यत्वादीश्वरः परिभाषितः
bṛhattvācca smṛto brahmā paratvāt parameśvaraḥ / vaśitvādapyavaśyatvādīśvaraḥ paribhāṣitaḥ
Dahil sa Kanyang kalawakan, Siya’y inaalala bilang “Brahmā”; dahil sa Kanyang pag-angat na lampas sa lahat, Siya’y tinatawag na “Parameśvara,” ang Kataas-taasang Panginoon. At dahil taglay Niya ang ganap na kapangyarihang mamahala—at hindi kailanman napapasailalim sa sinuman—Siya’y itinatakda bilang “Īśvara.”
Lord Kurma (Vishnu), teaching the sages (Kurma Purana doctrinal exposition)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It characterizes the Supreme as all-pervading (bṛhattva), transcendent (paratva), and absolutely independent—never ruled by anything else—thus indicating an ultimate reality that is both immanent and beyond, the ground of all beings.
No specific technique is listed, but the verse supplies a key Yogic contemplation: meditate on Īśvara as the independent sovereign (īśitṛ) who is never conditioned—supporting īśvara-praṇidhāna (devotional concentration on the Lord) as a stabilizing focus in Yoga-shastra.
By defining the Supreme through titles like Parameśvara and Īśvara without sectarian limitation, the Kurma Purana frames lordship and transcendence as one reality—compatible with its Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis where the highest Lord is approached through shared divine attributes.