Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 6
Tāmasa Sarga, the Androgynous Division of Brahmā, and the Lineages of Dharma and Adharma
द्विधाकरोत् पुनर्देहमर्धेन पुरुषो ऽभवत् / अर्धेन नारी पुरुषो विराजमसृजत् प्रभुः
dvidhākarot punardehamardhena puruṣo 'bhavat / ardhena nārī puruṣo virājamasṛjat prabhuḥ
Pagkaraan, muling hinati ng Panginoon ang Kanyang sariling katawan sa dalawa: sa isang kalahati Siya’y naging lalaki, at sa kabilang kalahati Siya’y naging babae; at ang makapangyarihang Lalaking iyon ay nagluwal kay Virāj.
Sūta (narrator) recounting the cosmogony to the sages (Naimiṣāraṇya frame)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shringara
FAQs
It presents the Supreme Lord as the single source who can appear as complementary opposites (male and female) without losing unity—suggesting one conscious principle manifesting multiplicity for creation.
No specific technique is prescribed in this verse; its contemplative value is in meditating on non-dual unity behind duality—useful for īśvara-dhyāna (meditation on the Lord) that underlies later Kurma Purana yoga teachings.
While not naming Śiva or Viṣṇu directly, the verse supports the Purāṇic synthesis: the one Lord manifests all forms and powers, a theological basis often used to harmonize Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava perspectives in the Kūrma Purāṇa.