Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 101
Prākṛta-pralaya, Pratisarga Doctrine, and the Ishvara-Samanvaya of Yoga and Devotion
यथात्म्यकथनं चाथ लिङ्गाविर्भाव एव च / ब्रह्मविष्णोस्तथा मध्ये कीर्तितो मुनिपुङ्गवाः
yathātmyakathanaṃ cātha liṅgāvirbhāva eva ca / brahmaviṣṇostathā madhye kīrtito munipuṅgavāḥ
Rồi tiếp nữa, hỡi bậc thượng thủ trong hàng hiền thánh, là lời giảng về chân tánh của Ngã (Ātman), cùng sự hiển lộ của chính Liṅga; và cũng thuật việc Liṅga được tuyên xưng là đứng giữa Brahmā và Viṣṇu.
Sūta (narrator) addressing the sages (Munis) in a topic-summary style
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It signals that the chapter includes a yathātmyakathana—an authoritative exposition of reality-as-it-is—linking Self-knowledge with the recognition of the supreme principle symbolized by the Liṅga.
This specific verse functions as a thematic pointer rather than a practice-instruction: it frames the teaching as moving from metaphysical truth (ātman/yathātmyam) to a revelatory sacred symbol (Liṅga), a common Purāṇic basis for contemplative devotion (dhyāna) and inner inquiry (ātma-vicāra) in later passages.
By recalling the Liṅga ‘between Brahmā and Viṣṇu,’ it evokes the Lingodbhava motif where sectarian rivalry yields to a higher, unifying reality—supporting the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis.