Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 26
Manvantaras, Indras, Saptarṣis, and the Seven Sustaining Manifestations; Vyāsa as Nārāyaṇa
विष्णुशक्तिरनौपम्या सत्त्वोद्रिक्ता स्थिता स्थितौ / तदंशभूता राजानः सर्वे च त्रिदिवौकसः
viṣṇuśaktiranaupamyā sattvodriktā sthitā sthitau / tadaṃśabhūtā rājānaḥ sarve ca tridivaukasaḥ
Ang di-mapapantayang Śakti ni Viṣṇu—puspos ng sattva—ay nananatili sa kalagayan ng pag-iingat at pagpapanatili. Mula sa isang bahagi ng Śakti na iyon sumibol ang lahat ng kapangyarihang namumuno, pati ang mga nananahan sa tatlong langit, ang mga deva.
Sūta (narrator) conveying the Purāṇic teaching to the assembled sages (Naimiṣāraṇya frame)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It points to a single supreme source whose Śakti governs “sthiti” (cosmic sustenance); the devas and rulers are not ultimate, but partial manifestations dependent on that higher reality.
While not giving a technique directly, it emphasizes sattva as the operative quality of sustaining divine power—implying the Yogic need for sattva-śuddhi (purification through restraint, devotion, and contemplative discipline) central to Kurma Purana’s broader Yoga-dharma teachings.
By grounding cosmic order in a supreme Śakti and a sustaining Lord, it supports the Kurma Purana’s synthetic theology: sectarian gods and cosmic rulers function as empowered portions, while the highest divinity remains one, approached through complementary Shaiva-Vaishnava frameworks.