Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 3
Cosmic Night, Nārāyaṇa as Brahmā, and the Varāha Raising of the Earth
सहस्त्रशीर्षा पुरुषो रुक्मवर्णस्त्वतीन्द्रियः / ब्रह्मा नारायणाख्यस्तु सुष्वाप सलिले तदा
sahastraśīrṣā puruṣo rukmavarṇastvatīndriyaḥ / brahmā nārāyaṇākhyastu suṣvāpa salile tadā
Đấng Purusha Tối Thượng ấy—nghìn đầu, sắc vàng rực, vượt ngoài các căn—chính là Brahmā, được gọi là Nārāyaṇa, bấy giờ an nằm trong giấc ngủ yoga (yoga-nidrā) trên nước vũ trụ.
Narrator (Purāṇic narration, traditionally Sūta/authorial voice within the Kurma Purana’s cosmogonic account)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
By calling the Purusha “atīndriya” (beyond the senses) and “sahastraśīrṣā” (all-pervading), the verse frames the Supreme as transcendent to sensory limitation yet immanent as the cosmic totality—an Atman/Brahman-like reality underlying creation.
The motif of “suṣvāpa” (yogic sleep) points to yoganidrā/samādhic repose—stillness prior to manifestation—echoing the Kurma Purana’s broader yogic language where divine consciousness remains inwardly poised, the ground from which creation proceeds.
Though Nārāyaṇa is named, the verse also uses the title “Brahmā” and the transcendent “Purusha,” a shared theological register across Shaiva and Vaishnava traditions—supporting the Kurma Purana’s synthetic tone where ultimate reality is one, expressed through multiple divine forms.