Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 19
Īśvara-gītā: Brahman as All-Pervading—Kāla, Prakṛti–Puruṣa, Tattva-Evolution, and Mokṣa
महतः परमव्यक्तमव्यक्तात् पुरुषः परः / पुरुषाद् भगवान् प्राणस्तस्य सर्वमिदं जगत्
mahataḥ paramavyaktamavyaktāt puruṣaḥ paraḥ / puruṣād bhagavān prāṇastasya sarvamidaṃ jagat
Vượt trên Mahat (đại trí vũ trụ) là Vô Hiển Tối Thượng (avyakta). Vượt trên Vô Hiển là Puruṣa siêu việt. Từ Puruṣa ấy phát sinh Prāṇa cát tường (hơi thở sinh mệnh vũ trụ); và toàn thể thế gian này cấu thành từ Prāṇa ấy.
Sūta (narrating the cosmological teaching within the Purāṇic discourse)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It places the Puruṣa as transcendent beyond the Unmanifest (avyakta), indicating a conscious principle superior to material causality; the cosmos is then shown as dependent on a divine life-principle (prāṇa) proceeding from that higher consciousness.
The verse foregrounds prāṇa as a cosmic principle, aligning with prāṇa-sādhana in Yoga: regulating and contemplating prāṇa as a gateway to discern Puruṣa beyond prakṛti’s unmanifest ground—an idea compatible with the Kurma Purana’s broader ascetic and Pāśupata-oriented discipline.
While not naming them, it uses shared Purāṇic metaphysics—Puruṣa and the lordly prāṇa as supreme principles—supporting the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian tendency to present ultimate reality in terms acceptable to both Śaiva (Īśvara) and Vaiṣṇava (Puruṣottama/Nārāyaṇa) frameworks.