Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 62
Invocation, Purāṇa Lakṣaṇas, Kurma at the Samudra-manthana, and Indradyumna’s Liberation Teaching
Iśvara-Gītā Prelude
कथं स भगवानीशः शाश्वतो निष्कलो ऽच्युतः / ज्ञातुं हि शक्यते देवि ब्रूहि मे परमेश्वरि
kathaṃ sa bhagavānīśaḥ śāśvato niṣkalo 'cyutaḥ / jñātuṃ hi śakyate devi brūhi me parameśvari
Làm sao có thể thật sự biết được Đấng Thế Tôn—Īśa, hằng hữu, vô phần, bất hoại? Ôi Nữ Thần, xin nói cho con, ô Đấng Tối Thượng Nữ Chủ.
A devotee/inquirer addressing the Goddess (Devi) within the Ishvara Gita setting of the Kurma Purana
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It frames the Supreme as eternal and partless (niṣkala), implying a reality beyond material divisions—known not as an object, but through inner realization and divine instruction.
The verse itself is an inquiry (jijñāsā) that sets up the Ishvara Gita’s method: approaching the divine teacher, receiving upadeśa, and pursuing contemplative knowledge—typically elaborated as disciplined meditation and devotion aligned with Pāśupata-oriented Śaiva-Vaiṣṇava synthesis.
By using Īśa (often Śaiva) alongside Acuta (a Vaiṣṇava epithet), it signals the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian, integrative vision of one Supreme Lord spoken of through multiple divine names.