Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 3
Dvīpa-Varṣa Vibhāga and the Priyavrata–Agnīdhra Lineage
Cosmic Geography and Royal Succession
यावन्तः सागरा द्वीपास्तथा वर्षाणि पर्वताः / वनानि सरितः सूर्यग्रहाणां स्थितिरेव च
yāvantaḥ sāgarā dvīpāstathā varṣāṇi parvatāḥ / vanāni saritaḥ sūryagrahāṇāṃ sthitireva ca
“Có bao nhiêu đại dương và châu lục, thì cũng bấy nhiêu vùng (varṣa) và núi non; lại có rừng và sông; và cả các vị trí an định cùng trật tự của Mặt Trời và các hành tinh.”
Sūta (narrator) relaying the Purāṇic cosmological teaching as taught in the Kurma Purana tradition
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
This verse is primarily cosmographical, mapping the ordered structure of the world and the luminaries; by implication, it supports the Purāṇic view that the cosmos is sustained by an intelligent, law-governed order (ṛta), within which the Self is to be realized as distinct from changing names and forms.
No direct technique is prescribed in this line; however, Kurma Purana’s broader teaching uses such cosmological order as a support for contemplative discernment (viveka) and devotion—seeing the regulated motions of Sun and grahas as a reminder of dharma, time (kāla), and disciplined practice.
The verse does not name Shiva or Vishnu explicitly, but its emphasis on a single coherent cosmic order aligns with the Kurma Purana’s integrative theology: the same supreme governance is understood through both Shaiva (Pāśupata) and Vaiṣṇava (Nārāyaṇa/Kūrma) frames rather than as competing ultimates.