Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 31
Prākṛta-pralaya, Pratisarga Doctrine, and the Ishvara-Samanvaya of Yoga and Devotion
एकैकस्य सहस्राणि देहानां वै शतानि च / कथ्यन्ते चैव माहात्म्याच्छक्तिरेकैव निर्गुणाः
ekaikasya sahasrāṇi dehānāṃ vai śatāni ca / kathyante caiva māhātmyācchaktirekaiva nirguṇāḥ
Với mỗi hữu thể, người ta nói có đến hàng ngàn—thậm chí hàng trăm—thân thể. Nhưng do Đại Uy Đức tối thượng, Thần Lực chỉ là một, và là nirguṇa—vượt ngoài mọi phẩm tính.
Lord Kūrma (Vishnu) instructing the sages (Iśvara-gītā style teaching in the Upari-bhāga)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It suggests that while embodiments are spoken of as many (even innumerable), the ultimate reality powering them is one—nirguṇa—indicating a single transcendent Self/Power behind all multiplicity.
The verse supports meditative discernment (viveka) central to Pāśupata-leaning Yoga and Vedānta: withdrawing attention from changing bodies and recognizing the one nirguṇa Śakti/Iśvara as the inner ground of experience.
By emphasizing one nirguṇa Śakti behind all forms, it aligns with the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian thrust: Śiva and Viṣṇu can be revered as expressions of the same supreme, attributeless reality.