Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 19
Lineage of Vyāsas, Division of the Veda, and Vāsudeva/Īśāna as the Veda-Known Supreme
सामवेदं सहस्त्रेण शाखानां प्रबिभेद सः / अथर्वाणमथो वेदं बिभेद नवकेन तु
sāmavedaṃ sahastreṇa śākhānāṃ prabibheda saḥ / atharvāṇamatho vedaṃ bibheda navakena tu
اس نے سام وید کو ہزار شاخاؤں میں تقسیم کیا؛ اور اتھرو وید کو نو شاخاؤں میں بانٹ دیا۔
Suta (traditional Purana narrator) describing Vyasa’s Veda-vibhaga
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
This verse does not directly define Ātman; it emphasizes the preservation and accessibility of Vedic revelation through systematic division into śākhās, which supports later inquiry into Brahman/Ātman via transmitted śruti.
No specific yoga practice is taught in this verse; its focus is the organization of Vedic recensions. In the Kurma Purana’s broader framework, such śruti-structure undergirds dharma and the disciplines (including yoga) taught elsewhere, especially in later doctrinal sections.
It does not explicitly address Śiva–Viṣṇu unity; it presents Vyāsa’s Vedic arrangement, a shared scriptural foundation revered across Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava traditions within the Kurma Purana’s synthesis.