Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 152
Devadāru (Dāruvana) Forest: The Delusion of Ritual Pride, the Liṅga Crisis, and the Teaching of Jñāna–Pāśupata Yoga
किमस्य जगतो मूलमात्मा चास्माकमेव हि / को ऽपि स्यात् सर्वभावानां हेतुरीश्वर एव च
kimasya jagato mūlamātmā cāsmākameva hi / ko 'pi syāt sarvabhāvānāṃ heturīśvara eva ca
“此宇宙之根本为何？而阿特曼（Ātman）果真是我们自身之真我吗？一切存在诸态之因是谁？唯有自在主（Īśvara）而已。”
A questioning interlocutor within the Kurma Purana dialogue (disciple/kingly seeker addressing the teaching authority, typically Lord Kūrma as narrator/teacher)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It frames Ātman as the innermost reality “of us indeed,” while simultaneously pointing to Īśvara as the ultimate ground—suggesting that true self-knowledge culminates in recognizing the Lord as the deepest source and support of being.
The verse itself is doctrinal and inquiry-based: it encourages viveka (discriminative inquiry) into the universe’s source and the self’s reality—an approach foundational to Kurma Purana’s yogic discipline, where contemplation on Īśvara as the universal cause stabilizes meditation and devotion.
By emphasizing Īśvara as the single cause of all existents, it supports the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis: the Supreme Lord can be understood through both Shaiva and Vaishnava lenses as one ultimate reality guiding creation and liberation.