Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 16
Mādhayameśvara-māhātmya — Vyāsa at Mandākinī and the Pāśupata Vision
तद्वदास्माकमव्यक्तं रहस्यं गुह्यमुत्तमम् / क्षिप्रं पश्येम तं देवं श्रुत्वा भगवतो मुखात्
tadvadāsmākamavyaktaṃ rahasyaṃ guhyamuttamam / kṣipraṃ paśyema taṃ devaṃ śrutvā bhagavato mukhāt
Vậy đối với chúng con cũng có một bí mật vô tướng—cực kỳ kín nhiệm và tối thắng. Sau khi được nghe từ chính kim khẩu của Đấng Thế Tôn, nguyện cho chúng con mau chóng được chiêm bái chính Thần ấy.
Sages/disciples (petitioning the Blessed Lord for the highest secret and direct vision)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
By calling the highest truth “unmanifest” (avyakta) and “supremely hidden” (guhyam uttamam), the verse points to the Atman/Ishvara as beyond ordinary sense-perception, approached through revealed instruction and inner realization rather than external proof.
The verse foregrounds śravaṇa—reverent hearing “from the mouth of Bhagavan”—as the gateway to swift divine vision (darśana). In Kurma Purana’s yogic frame, such hearing supports concentration and contemplation that culminate in direct experience of the Lord.
It uses inclusive terms like “Bhagavan” and “Deva,” fitting the Kurma Purana’s synthesis where the supreme is one reality approached through different theistic forms—supporting a non-sectarian, unified vision of divinity.