Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 22
Dvīpa-Varṣa Vibhāga and the Priyavrata–Agnīdhra Lineage
Cosmic Geography and Royal Succession
स्वनामचिह्नितान् यत्र तथा वर्षाणि सुव्रताः / ज्ञेयानि सप्त तान्येषु द्वीपेष्वेवं न यो मतः
svanāmacihnitān yatra tathā varṣāṇi suvratāḥ / jñeyāni sapta tānyeṣu dvīpeṣvevaṃ na yo mataḥ
اے نیک عہد والو! ان دیوپوں میں ‘ورش’ کہلانے والے علاقے اپنے اپنے ناموں سے ہی ممتاز ہیں؛ انہیں سات جانو۔ دیوپوں کے بارے میں یہی قطعی رائے ہے۔
Sūta (narrator) conveying the Purāṇic cosmography within the Kurma Purana’s discourse to the sages
Primary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
This verse is primarily cosmographic, not directly metaphysical: it organizes the world into named varṣas within dvīpas. In the Kurma Purana’s broader framework, such ordered description supports dharma by situating human life and sacred geography within a meaningful cosmic structure, rather than defining Ātman explicitly.
No specific yoga practice is taught in this verse. Indirectly, Purāṇic geography functions as a contemplative map (smṛti) for pilgrimage, ritual duty, and worldview—preparatory supports that, in later Kurma Purana sections (including the Ishvara Gita and Pāśupata-oriented teachings), are integrated with sādhanā and disciplined conduct (vrata).
This verse does not mention Śiva or Viṣṇu explicitly. Its contribution is contextual: the Kurma Purana often unifies Śaiva-Vaiṣṇava theology by placing devotion and yoga within an ordered cosmos; here, the emphasis is on the standard classification of dvīpas and their seven named varṣas.