Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 46
Prākṛta-pralaya, Pratisarga Doctrine, and the Ishvara-Samanvaya of Yoga and Devotion
अत्राप्यशक्तो ऽथ हरं विष्णुं बह्माणमर्चयेत् / अथ चेदसमर्थः स्यात् तत्रापि मुनिपुङ्गवाः / ततो वाय्वग्निशक्रादीन् पूजयेद् भक्तिसंयुतः
atrāpyaśakto 'tha haraṃ viṣṇuṃ bahmāṇamarcayet / atha cedasamarthaḥ syāt tatrāpi munipuṅgavāḥ / tato vāyvagniśakrādīn pūjayed bhaktisaṃyutaḥ
Ngay trong pháp này, nếu không đủ sức (thực hiện sự thờ phụng đã định), thì hãy thờ Hara (Śiva), Viṣṇu và Brahmā. Và nếu vẫn không kham nổi, hỡi các bậc hiền thánh, thì với lòng sùng kính hãy lễ bái Vāyu, Agni, Śakra (Indra) cùng các thần khác.
Suta (narrator) conveying the Kurma Purana’s dharma-teaching in a sage-dialogue setting
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It implies a graded approach to the One sacred goal: worship may be directed to major deities (Śiva–Viṣṇu–Brahmā) or, when limited, to other devatās—suggesting that sincere bhakti can function as an access-point toward the same highest reality upheld by the Purāṇic synthesis.
The verse emphasizes bhakti-yukta upāsanā (devotionally grounded worship) as a practical discipline when one lacks full ritual ability—aligning with Purāṇic yoga as steadiness of mind, reverence, and continuity of practice through accessible forms.
By placing Hara (Śiva) and Viṣṇu together as legitimate objects of worship within the same directive, it reflects the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava harmony: devotion can be offered without sectarian rupture, with multiple deities serving the one dharmic path.