Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 92
Adhyāya 25 — Liṅga-māhātmya (The Chapter on the Liṅga): Hari’s Śiva-Worship and the Fiery Pillar Theophany
युवां प्रसूतौ गात्रेभ्यो मम पूर्वं सनातनौ / अयं मे दक्षिणे पार्श्वे ब्रह्मा लोकपितामहः / वामपार्श्वे च मे विष्णुः पालको हृदये हरः
yuvāṃ prasūtau gātrebhyo mama pūrvaṃ sanātanau / ayaṃ me dakṣiṇe pārśve brahmā lokapitāmahaḥ / vāmapārśve ca me viṣṇuḥ pālako hṛdaye haraḥ
“汝二者先于一切，由我肢体而生，本性恒常不灭。于我右侧为梵天（Brahmā），诸世界之祖父；于我左侧为毗湿奴（Viṣṇu），护持者；而在我心中住着诃罗（Hara，即湿婆 Śiva）。”
The Supreme Lord (Ishvara) speaking in a syncretic Shaiva–Vaishnava voice (as presented in the Kurma Purana narrative frame).
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It presents a single supreme source from whom the cosmic functions arise—creation (Brahmā), preservation (Viṣṇu), and dissolution/inner lordship (Hara)—implying one underlying Ishvara/Atman expressed through multiple divine roles.
The verse implicitly supports upāsanā and dhyāna by locating Hara “in the heart,” encouraging inward contemplation of the indwelling Lord—an orientation consistent with Kurma Purana’s Shaiva disciplines and the later Pashupata-leaning yogic emphasis on inner realization.
It frames Viṣṇu and Hara as coordinated manifestations within one supreme reality: Viṣṇu as protector and Hara as the heart-indwelling power, reflecting the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian, integrative theology rather than rivalry.