Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 26
Īśvara-gītā: Vibhūtis of the Supreme Lord and the Paśu–Paśupati Doctrine of Bondage and Release
सत्त्वं रजस्तमश्चेति गुणत्रयमुदाहृतम् / साम्यावस्थितिमेतेषामव्यक्तं प्रकृतिं विदुः
sattvaṃ rajastamaśceti guṇatrayamudāhṛtam / sāmyāvasthitimeteṣāmavyaktaṃ prakṛtiṃ viduḥ
Sattva, rajas và tamas—được tuyên thuyết là ba guṇa. Khi ba guṇa ấy ở trong thế quân bình, trạng thái đó gọi là Vô hiển (avyakta), và bậc hiền trí hiểu đó chính là Prakṛti (Tự Tánh nguyên sơ).
Lord Kūrma (Vishnu) instructing sages (Sāṅkhya-oriented teaching in the Kurma Purana narrative frame)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
By defining Prakṛti as the guṇa-equilibrium called avyakta, the verse implicitly distinguishes the Self as the knower beyond guṇas—Atman/Puruṣa is not the guṇas, but witnesses their balance and disturbance.
The verse supports guṇa-analysis used in Yoga: cultivating sattva and reducing rajas-tamas stabilizes the mind, making it fit for dhyāna and discriminative insight (viveka) between Puruṣa and Prakṛti—an underpinning for later Pāśupata-oriented discipline in the Kurma Purana.
Though the verse is Sāṅkhya terminology, its placement in the Kurma Purana’s integrated theology allows the same Prakṛti-doctrine to function under Īśvara’s governance—supporting the Purana’s non-sectarian Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis where divine instruction (Kūrma/Vishnu) aligns with Śaiva-Yogic metaphysics.