Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 23
Ikṣvāku-vaṃśa (Genealogy) culminating in Rāma; Setu-liṅga Māhātmya; Continuation through Kuśa and Lava
इदं धनुः समादातुं यः शक्नोति जगत्त्रये / देवो वा दानवो वापि स सीतां लब्धुमर्हति
idaṃ dhanuḥ samādātuṃ yaḥ śaknoti jagattraye / devo vā dānavo vāpi sa sītāṃ labdhumarhati
تینوں لوکوں میں جو کوئی اس کمان کو اٹھا سکے—خواہ وہ دیوتا ہو یا دانَو—وہی سیتا کو پانے کا حق دار ہے۔
A royal herald/announcer (on behalf of the king presiding over the svayaṃvara)
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
Indirectly, it frames “worthiness” (arhati) through capacity and dharma: in Purāṇic thought, outer prowess mirrors inner fitness (adhikāra). While not teaching Ātman explicitly, it supports the idea that eligibility for a sacred goal depends on demonstrated competence and right standing.
No explicit yogic technique is taught in this line. Yet the motif of “lifting the bow” functions like a dhāraṇā of discipline—steadiness, focus, and mastery of body-mind—qualities later emphasized in Kurma Purana’s broader yoga-dharma discussions (including Pāśupata-oriented restraint and resolve).
It does not name Śiva or Viṣṇu directly. Still, its inclusive phrasing—“god or even demon”—reflects a Purāṇic universality where power and merit operate under a single cosmic order, consistent with the Kurma Purana’s broader tendency to harmonize sectarian frames within one dharmic reality.