Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 12
Īśvara-gītā: Bhakti as the Supreme Means; the Three Śaktis; Non-compelled Lordship
न मद्भक्ता विनश्यन्ति मद्भक्ता वीतकल्मषाः / आदावेतत् प्रतिज्ञातं न मे भक्तः प्रणश्यति
na madbhaktā vinaśyanti madbhaktā vītakalmaṣāḥ / ādāvetat pratijñātaṃ na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati
میرے بھکت ہلاک نہیں ہوتے؛ میرے بھکت گناہ کی آلودگی سے پاک ہوتے ہیں۔ آغاز ہی سے یہ میری قسم ہے—‘میرا بھکت کبھی تباہ نہیں ہوتا۔’
Lord Kurma (Vishnu/Narayana) as the Supreme Ishvara
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
By speaking as the protecting Lord (Ishvara), the verse frames the Supreme as a personal, vow-bound Reality whose grace safeguards the devotee—implying that refuge in the Supreme is spiritually inviolable and leads beyond destruction.
The verse highlights bhakti-yoga as the core discipline: unwavering devotion and surrender (śaraṇāgati) that purifies sin (kalmaṣa) and establishes the practitioner in divine protection—harmonizing with the Kurma Purana’s broader yoga-shastra emphasis on purity and steadfast worship.
Though voiced by Vishnu as Kurma, the teaching aligns with the Purana’s synthetic theology: the single Supreme Lord (Ishvara) protects devotees regardless of sectarian form, supporting a non-competitive Shaiva–Vaishnava unity centered on devotion and dharma.