Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 70
Genealogies from Purūravas to the Haihayas; Jayadhvaja’s Vaiṣṇava Resolve, Sage-Adjudication, and the Slaying of Videha
को ऽयं नारायणो देवः किंप्रभावश्च सुव्रत / सर्वमेतन्ममाचक्ष्व परं कौतूहलं हि मे
ko 'yaṃ nārāyaṇo devaḥ kiṃprabhāvaśca suvrata / sarvametanmamācakṣva paraṃ kautūhalaṃ hi me
“这位那罗延主是谁？其威力与尊严如何，噢持善誓者？请将一切明白告我，因为我心中生起了极大的求知之愿。”
A questioning sage (inquiry addressed to a disciplined interlocutor, e.g., a sage/narrator in the Kurma Purana dialogue frame)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
This verse frames the central spiritual inquiry—seeking to know who Nārāyaṇa truly is and the scope of His prabhāva—setting up the Purāṇic teaching that the Supreme is knowable through śravaṇa (hearing) and right understanding, not mere assumption.
No specific technique is stated in this verse; it establishes the prerequisite for Yoga: intense jijñāsā (earnest inquiry). In the Kurma Purana’s broader guidance, such inquiry matures into disciplined practice (vrata, restraint, devotion) that supports meditation on Īśvara.
By focusing on knowing the supreme Lord’s true identity and power, the verse prepares the Purāṇic synthesis where divine names and forms are taught as expressions of one Īśvara—supporting a non-sectarian, Shaiva–Vaishnava harmonizing lens found in the Kurma Purana.