Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 29
Rudra’s Cosmic Dance and the Recognition of Rudra–Nārāyaṇa Unity (Īśvara-gītā Continuation)
ओङ्कारस्ते वाचको मुक्तिबीजं त्वमक्षरं प्रकृतौ गूढरूपम् / तत्त्वां सत्यं प्रवदन्तीह सन्तः स्वयंप्रभं भवतो यत्प्रकाशम्
oṅkāraste vācako muktibījaṃ tvamakṣaraṃ prakṛtau gūḍharūpam / tattvāṃ satyaṃ pravadantīha santaḥ svayaṃprabhaṃ bhavato yatprakāśam
“唵”（Oṃ）是汝之名相，是解脱之种。汝为不坏之“阿克沙罗”（Akṣara），其形隐于原质（Prakṛti）之中。此处证悟的圣者宣说：汝即真实——自明自照——万有皆因汝光而显。
A devotee/sage offering stuti (hymn) to the Supreme Lord (Hari as Kurma/Nārāyaṇa), in a Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis tone typical of the Kūrma Purāṇa
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It identifies the Supreme as akṣara (imperishable) and svayaṁprabha (self-luminous), the Real that is not produced by nature yet is present within it as the hidden ground by whose light everything is known.
The verse foregrounds Praṇava (Oṃ) as muktibīja—the liberating seed—implying japa and dhyāna on Oṃ as a Pāśupata-style contemplative support for realizing the self-luminous imperishable reality.
By describing one Supreme as the imperishable, self-luminous truth approached through Oṃ, it supports the Purāṇa’s non-sectarian synthesis: the highest reality praised as Hari/Kūrma is the same tattva revered as Īśvara in Śaiva frames.