Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 17
Madhu–Kaiṭabha, Nārāyaṇa’s Yoga-Nidrā, Rudra’s Manifestation, and the Aṣṭamūrti–Trimūrti Teaching
विष्णुरुवाच कच्चिन्न विस्मृतो देवः शूलपाणिः सनातनः / यदुक्तवानात्मनो ऽसौ पुत्रत्वे तव शङ्करः
viṣṇuruvāca kaccinna vismṛto devaḥ śūlapāṇiḥ sanātanaḥ / yaduktavānātmano 'sau putratve tava śaṅkaraḥ
Viṣṇu nói: “Ngươi chẳng lẽ đã quên vị Thần vĩnh cửu, Đấng cầm đinh ba sao? Chính Śaṅkara ấy, xét nơi Tự Ngã của mình, đã từng tuyên rằng Ngài ở trong quan hệ làm con đối với ngươi.”
Viṣṇu (as narrator/speaker in the Kurma Purana dialogue tradition)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
By saying Śaṅkara spoke “regarding his own Self” (ātmanaḥ), the verse frames divine identity in terms of inner reality, hinting that apparent roles (like sonship) can be expressed without denying the deeper, transcendent Self.
No specific practice is prescribed in this line; its contribution is doctrinal—supporting a contemplative view where sectarian difference is softened, which in the Kurma Purana undergirds later Yoga-shāstra teachings (including Pāśupata-oriented devotion and discipline).
It presents a deliberate concord: Viṣṇu recalls Śiva (Śūlapāṇi, Śaṅkara) as eternal and recounts a statement of relational unity (even “sonship”), emphasizing theological harmony rather than rivalry.