Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 153
Dakṣa’s Progeny, Nṛsiṃha–Varāha Avatāras, and Andhaka’s Defeat
Hari–Hara–Śakti Synthesis
न मे विदुः परं तत्त्वं देवाद्या न महर्षयः / एको ऽयं वेद विश्वात्मा भवानी विष्णुरेव च
na me viduḥ paraṃ tattvaṃ devādyā na maharṣayaḥ / eko 'yaṃ veda viśvātmā bhavānī viṣṇureva ca
Chẳng phải chư thiên và các bậc ở cõi trời, cũng chẳng phải các đại hiền triết, thật sự biết được Thực tại tối thượng của Ta. Chỉ có Một Tự Ngã bao trùm vũ trụ mới tự biết mình là Bhavānī—và cũng chính là Viṣṇu.
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) speaking in a theological-advaitic register
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It presents the Supreme as the one viśvātmā (cosmic Self) whose reality is beyond the full grasp of gods and sages, implying self-luminous, non-dual knowledge where the Supreme alone truly knows itself.
This verse emphasizes tattva-jñāna (knowledge of the supreme principle) as the core aim; in the Kurma Purana’s broader yogic framework, such realization is approached through disciplined yoga and devotion that culminate in direct insight into the one all-pervading Ishvara.
By identifying the one viśvātmā as Bhavānī and also as Viṣṇu, it signals a synthetic, non-sectarian vision: the supreme reality is one, expressed through multiple divine names and forms rather than competing deities.