Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 11
Cosmic Manifestation, Mahāmāyā’s Mandate, Varṇāśrama-Dharma, and the Unity of the Trimūrti
तथोक्तो ऽहं श्रियं देवीमब्रुवं प्रहसन्निव / देवीदमखिलं विश्वं सदेवासुरमानुषम् / मोहयित्वा ममादेशात् संसारे विनिपातय
tathokto 'haṃ śriyaṃ devīmabruvaṃ prahasanniva / devīdamakhilaṃ viśvaṃ sadevāsuramānuṣam / mohayitvā mamādeśāt saṃsāre vinipātaya
یوں مخاطب کیے جانے پر میں گویا مسکرا کر دیوی شری سے بولا— “اے دیوی! میرے حکم سے دیوتاؤں، اسوروں اور انسانوں سمیت اس سارے جگت کو موہ میں ڈال، اور انہیں سنسار کے چکر میں گرا دے۔”
Lord Kurma (Vishnu/Nārāyaṇa) narrating his instruction to Goddess Śrī (Lakṣmī)
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It implies that bondage is not intrinsic to the Self but arises through divinely-ordained delusion (moha) operating in the cosmos; saṃsāra is presented as a conditioned state caused by māyā/śakti rather than the true nature of ātman.
No specific practice is prescribed in this verse; it sets the doctrinal premise that liberation-oriented Yoga (including Pāśupata and related disciplines taught later) is necessary to overcome moha and transcend saṃsāra.
While Shiva is not named here, the verse supports the Purāṇa’s non-dual theological tone: the Lord’s śakti (here Śrī) administers māyā and saṃsāra, a framework compatible with both Vaiṣṇava and Śaiva (Pāśupata) accounts of bondage and release.