Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 18
Lineage of Vyāsas, Division of the Veda, and Vāsudeva/Īśāna as the Veda-Known Supreme
एकविंशतिभेदेन ऋग्वेदं कृतवान् पुरा / शाखानां तु शतेनैव यजुर्वेदमथाकरोत्
ekaviṃśatibhedena ṛgvedaṃ kṛtavān purā / śākhānāṃ tu śatenaiva yajurvedamathākarot
قدیم زمانے میں اس نے رِگ وید کو اکیس حصّوں میں تقسیم کیا؛ اور پھر یجُروید کو بھی سو شاخاؤں کی صورت میں مرتب کیا۔
Narrator within the Purāṇic dialogue (describing the compiler’s arrangement of the Vedas, traditionally attributed to Vyāsa)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
This verse does not directly define Ātman; it supports the Purāṇic view that sacred knowledge is preserved through ordered transmission (śākhās), enabling later inquiry into Brahman/Ātman via Vedic revelation.
No specific yoga practice is taught in this line; its focus is textual and disciplinary—systematizing Vedic śākhās, which undergirds later sādhanā (mantra, yajña, and contemplative study) described elsewhere in the Kurma Purana.
It does not explicitly mention Śiva–Viṣṇu unity; indirectly, it reflects the Kurma Purana’s synthesis by grounding both Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava teachings in a shared Vedic source structured through recognized śākhā traditions.