Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 44
Genealogies of Yadus and Vṛṣṇis; Navaratha’s Refuge to Sarasvatī; Rise of Sāttvata Tradition; Prelude to Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma Incarnation
श्वफल्कः काशिराजस्य सुतां भार्यामविन्दत / तस्यामजनयत् पुत्रमक्रूरं नाम धार्मिकम् / उपमङ्गुस्तथा मङ्गुरन्ये च बहवः सुताः
śvaphalkaḥ kāśirājasya sutāṃ bhāryāmavindata / tasyāmajanayat putramakrūraṃ nāma dhārmikam / upamaṅgustathā maṅguranye ca bahavaḥ sutāḥ
Śvaphalka cưới con gái vua Kāśī làm hiền thê. Từ nàng, ông sinh một con trai tên Akrūra, lừng danh về đức hạnh; lại có Upamaṅgu, Maṅgu và nhiều người con khác.
Sūta (traditional Purāṇic narrator) recounting lineage to the sages
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
This verse is genealogical rather than metaphysical; it does not directly teach Ātman-doctrine, but it frames dharma through exemplary figures like Akrūra, whose righteousness is later aligned with Purāṇic devotion to the Supreme.
No explicit Yoga practice is taught in this verse; it functions as dynastic context. In the Kurma Purana, such lineages often prepare the narrative ground for later teachings on devotion, dharma, and (elsewhere) Pāśupata-oriented disciplines.
It does not directly address Śiva–Viṣṇu unity; it records family history. The Kurma Purana’s broader synthesis appears in doctrinal sections (notably the Upari-bhāga’s Īśvara-gītā and allied teachings), while this verse supplies the historical-purāṇic setting.