In Sanskrit with Hindi Translation (online) : http://www.vedpuran.com/brahma.asp?bookid=20&secid=1&pageno=001&Ved=Y&PuranName=Kurma
For download : http://deepak.esmartguy.com/books.htm#
A link to posts on Kurma Puranam and Kurma Avataram : Kurma Puranam
Let us bow to nArAyaNa, saraswati and vEda vyAsa and before we say Victory!
Having bowed to that Vishnu, who is beyond all axioms, in the form of a tortoise (Kurma), I will tell you this old event as was told by Him from who the Universe originated. (vis’vayOni).
At the end of the satra (yaga, yagnya), the Rishis of naimis’AraNya, asked the pure sUta, Romaharshana to tell them all the purANAas.
They said, “Oh Suta! of great intellect! You served (sat near), that best among the knowers of the Brahman, Veda Vyasa, in order to learn the Puranas and Itihasas.
You learnt it so well that when you recited the stories, all the hair on dwaipayanA’s (Vyasa)’s body stood on end (horripilation). And thus you were named rOmaharSaNa!
So you were sent to us by that divine one to tell us all the puranas.
You were born of an ams’a (fraction) of s’rI mahA viSNu, to tell all these stories at the time of the yagnya of swayambhu (Brahma) himself.
So we ask you, the expert in the meanings of all the puranas, please tell us the wonderful story of the kUrma purANa.”
Then Suta mentally bowed to that son of satyavati (Vyasa), his guru and said,
Since anyone who hears this tale will be cleansed of all sins and will attain the final state, this story must not be told to those who disbelieve in the Vedas (nAstikas).
This story which was told by Narayana Himself must be only told to the disciplined (s’raddhadhAna), peaceful, righteous, twice born.
It includes an account of creation, dissolution, dynasties, manvantarAs as well as the histories of the dynasties. It is the fifteenth in the list of puranas. (Here he follows with a list of the original narrators of the puranas : Purana Narrators : Original).
This kurma purana has 4 divisions : brAhmI, bhAgavatI, saurI vaiSNavI!
These give you Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. (Purusharthas)
This brAhmI samhitA has 6000 s’lOkAs and is accepted by the Vedas (sammitA). The brahman can be known by studying this with great care. It is fit for contemplation by meticulous, peaceful, righteous, brAhmaNAs (those engaged in the study of the brahman) and others.
Notes :
- Please decide for yourself whether you consider yourself a right recipient of this story. I consider myself worthy of knowing this story, because I want to know it so much and it makes me so peaceful and happy.
- A sUta is a mixed Caste. Some where in the ancestry, there is a brahmin mother and a kshatriya father. Karna‘s adopted father was a sUta. Sri Krishna‘s ancestor Yadu, the son of dEvayAni and yayAti would also be a sUta by this definition.
- rOmaharSana was considered an ams’a of Vishnu by the RSis. Sri Krishna is considered a pURNa avatARa (complete avataar) of viSNu by all hindus (to the best of my knowledge).
- s’rI kRSNa defined varNAs (classes) based on guNa (nature) and Karma (actions).
- Since I am interested in the nature of brahman, I would define myself as a “trying to be” sat brAhmaNa, and since I believe in vedas and vedanta, I sincerely hope that I am eligible to hear and tell this tale.
- dvijAta : means twice born. The first is the human birth. The second is the upanayanam for traditional brahmin boys who are taken off to Vedic Studies for a spiritual awakening. I will interpret this (conveniently) as the moment in our lives when we become restless or curious about our divinity! Which for me was sometime in my early childhood.
- May Vishnu bless us with the knowledge of and in this purANam.
Authorship and Copyright Notice : All Rights Reserved : Satya Sarada Kandula
