Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 19
Sapta-dvīpa Cosmography and the Vision of Śvetadvīpa–Vaikuṇṭha
शाल्मलस्य तु विस्ताराद् द्विगुणेन समन्ततः / संवेष्ट्य तु सुरोदाब्धिं कुशद्वीपो व्यवस्थितः
śālmalasya tu vistārād dviguṇena samantataḥ / saṃveṣṭya tu surodābdhiṃ kuśadvīpo vyavasthitaḥ
شالمَل دیو کے پھیلاؤ سے دوگنا ہو کر چاروں طرف کُش دیو قائم ہے؛ وہ ہر سمت سے سُرودَھی (سُرا کے سمندر) کو گھیرے ہوئے ہے۔
Sūta (narrator) relaying the Purāṇic cosmography to the sages
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
This verse is primarily cosmographic, describing the ordering of continents and oceans; indirectly, it reflects the Purāṇic view that the universe is a structured manifestation sustained by īśvara’s cosmic order (niyati), within which the Self remains distinct from changing geography.
No specific Yoga practice is taught in this verse; it belongs to the Kurma Purana’s geography/cosmology section rather than the Ishvara Gita or Pāśupata-oriented teachings where sādhanā, dhyāna, and discipline are detailed.
The verse does not directly address Śiva–Viṣṇu synthesis; it contributes to the shared Purāṇic cosmology accepted across Shaiva and Vaishnava traditions, providing a common cosmic framework within which their non-sectarian unity is taught elsewhere in the text.