Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 6
Devī-tattva, Śakti–Śaktimān doctrine, Kāla–Māyā cosmology, and Māheśvara Yoga instruction
सौम्यासौम्यैस्तथा शान्ताशान्तैः स्त्रीत्वं च स प्रभुः / बिभेद बहुधा देवः स्वरूपैरसितैः सितैः
saumyāsaumyaistathā śāntāśāntaiḥ strītvaṃ ca sa prabhuḥ / bibheda bahudhā devaḥ svarūpairasitaiḥ sitaiḥ
那至上主宰以无量方式自我分化——或柔和、或不柔和，或寂静、或不寂静，乃至现为女性之相；并以或黯或明的形态，显现为神圣本身。
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) speaking within the Ishvara Gita teaching
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It presents the Supreme as one Lord who remains singular yet appears as many contrasting modes (gentle/fierce, peaceful/agitated), indicating that multiplicity is a manifested play of one Ishvara rather than a second independent reality.
The verse supports an Ishvara-centered meditation (īśvara-dhyāna) where the practitioner learns to recognize all guṇic contrasts and divine iconographic forms as expressions of the one Lord—an orientation consistent with Pāśupata-style devotion joined to inner discernment.
By teaching a single प्रभुः (Lord) who manifests in peaceful and fierce modes, it aligns with the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian stance: the same Supreme is praised through Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava forms without contradiction.