Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 62
Invocation, Purāṇa Lakṣaṇas, Kurma at the Samudra-manthana, and Indradyumna’s Liberation Teaching
Iśvara-Gītā Prelude
कथं स भगवानीशः शाश्वतो निष्कलो ऽच्युतः / ज्ञातुं हि शक्यते देवि ब्रूहि मे परमेश्वरि
kathaṃ sa bhagavānīśaḥ śāśvato niṣkalo 'cyutaḥ / jñātuṃ hi śakyate devi brūhi me parameśvari
那位具足福德的主——伊湿伐罗，常住、无分、无失（阿周多）——究竟如何才能真实了知？女神啊，请为我开示，至上女主啊。
A devotee/inquirer addressing the Goddess (Devi) within the Ishvara Gita setting of the Kurma Purana
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It frames the Supreme as eternal and partless (niṣkala), implying a reality beyond material divisions—known not as an object, but through inner realization and divine instruction.
The verse itself is an inquiry (jijñāsā) that sets up the Ishvara Gita’s method: approaching the divine teacher, receiving upadeśa, and pursuing contemplative knowledge—typically elaborated as disciplined meditation and devotion aligned with Pāśupata-oriented Śaiva-Vaiṣṇava synthesis.
By using Īśa (often Śaiva) alongside Acuta (a Vaiṣṇava epithet), it signals the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian, integrative vision of one Supreme Lord spoken of through multiple divine names.