Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 24
Cosmic Realms Above Dhruva, the Pātālas Below, and the Foundation of Pralaya
Ananta–Kāla
शङ्कुकर्णेन संभिन्नं तथा नमुचिपूर्वकैः / तथान्यैर्विवधैर्नागैस्तलं चैव सुशोभनम्
śaṅkukarṇena saṃbhinnaṃ tathā namucipūrvakaiḥ / tathānyairvivadhairnāgaistalaṃ caiva suśobhanam
那一境界（下界）被商拘迦耳那(Śaṅkukarṇa)所穿凿，亦被那牟支(Namuci)等所贯通；又有众多形类各异的那伽——于是地下世界辉耀无比，庄严殊胜。
Sūta (narrator) recounting the Purāṇic description to the sages (Naimiṣāraṇya frame)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: raudra
FAQs
This verse is primarily cosmographical, praising the splendor of Pātāla adorned by Nāgas; it does not directly teach Ātman-doctrine, but it supports the Purāṇic vision of an ordered cosmos in which the Supreme Lord’s governance is implied through the harmony and beauty of creation.
No explicit Yoga practice is taught in this śloka; it functions as descriptive narrative. In Kurma Purāṇa’s broader arc, such cosmological passages often frame later dharma and yoga teachings by situating them within a sacred, divinely structured universe.
This specific verse does not mention Śiva or Viṣṇu directly; it contributes to the shared Purāṇic cosmology used by both Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava traditions, a common ground on which the Kurma Purāṇa later develops its synthesis.