Shloka 44
Commencement of the Upari-bhāga: The Sages Request Brahma-vidyā; Vyāsa Recalls the Badarikā Inquiry and Śiva–Viṣṇu Theophany
प्रष्टुमर्हथ विश्वेशं प्रत्यक्षं पुरतः स्थितम् / ममैव सन्निधावेष यथावद् वक्तुमीश्वरः
praṣṭumarhatha viśveśaṃ pratyakṣaṃ purataḥ sthitam / mamaiva sannidhāveṣa yathāvad vaktumīśvaraḥ
你们堪当请问毗湿维沙——宇宙之主——他正显然立于你们面前。在我亲自临在之处，此自在主能如法、依次第为你们宣说。
A sage/elder addressing the assembled inquirers (dialogue frame leading to Lord Kurma’s instruction)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
It emphasizes Īśvara as directly present (pratyakṣa) and capable of orderly instruction—pointing to the Supreme as knowable through right approach and divine grace, not merely speculation.
The verse foregrounds the yogic prerequisite of proper inquiry (praśna) before the manifest Lord—an orientation aligned with disciplined listening and receptivity (śravaṇa-bhāva) that supports later Pāśupata-style practice and instruction.
By using the universal title “Viśveśa/Īśvara,” it frames the Supreme Lord in an inclusive way consistent with the Kurma Purana’s synthesis, where sectarian boundaries soften in the presence of the one Sovereign Reality.