Chapter summary
श्रीकूर्मक्षेत्रमाहात्म्यम् Śrī Kūrma Kṣetra Māhātmyam
The Glory of Śrī Kūrma Kṣetra
**The Sadguru said:**
On the shore of the eastern sea lies a supremely holy place, renowned as Śrī Kūrma, a destroyer of sins. There, Viṣṇu, whose nature is inconceivable and who bestows the desired fruits upon His devotees, resides in the self-manifested form of a tortoise (Kūrma), made of sacred Śālagrāma stone. This Lord, ever intent on showering grace upon His devotees, is worshipped with profound faith and devotion by Brahmins and sages who are masters of the Vedas. Within this sacred precinct is also the supremely pure water body named Amṛtasaras, divine and equal to the very Ocean of Milk, possessing the power to destroy all diseases (v.1-4).
**The Devotees said:**
O Lord, when did the primeval Kūrma, the Lord of the Universe and repository of compassion, manifest there? Please recount that story for us (v.5).
**The Sadguru said:**
"In the beginning, all this was just water," so it is heard. Upon a lotus leaf amidst those primordial waters, the self-born Lord Brahmā reposed. Searching then for the cause of all the worlds and for his own support, the lotus-born one found nothing, though he sought extensively by himself. For a moment, Veda-garbha [Brahmā, the womb of the Vedas], residing in that ocean of dissolution, considered himself to be the sole support and cause of the worlds. It was then that the eternal Lord appeared in the form of a tortoise, moving hither and thither, sporting playfully in the waters of dissolution (v.6-9). Seeing that tortoise, Brahmā, the Lord, laughingly questioned him: "Who are you, O child, that you roam fearlessly in these waves? Tell me" (v.10).
**Śrī Kūrma said:**
"I am the foundation for all the worlds, and indeed, for you as well. Everything, O lotus-born one, is supported upon my back. I am the creator of all the worlds, and even of you, the creator. Know me as the great Kūrma, the cause of all causes" (v.11-12).
**Brahmā said:**
"I am indeed self-born. Behold me, the four-faced one! I am the support and the cause of you and of all the worlds" (v.13).
**Śrī Kūrma said:**
"I am in this tortoise form playfully. Behold my universal form—the Puruṣa [Cosmic Being] with a thousand heads and a thousand feet" (v.14).
**The Sadguru said:**
Having spoken thus, the Lord Kūrma, Hari, assumed His universal form. He was seen in the ocean of dissolution, with a thousand eyes and a thousand feet. Instantly, Brahmā himself, recognizing that imperishable Kūrma, bowed down and praised the eternal God of gods (v.15-16).
**Brahmā said:**
"Salutations again and again to You, Viṣṇu, the primeval Kūrma, the God whose back is the foundation-seat and who is the cause of the worlds. You alone are the cause of all the worlds; there is no doubt in this. I know You as the form of knowledge, eternal, a being of pure consciousness (v.17-18). I am the embodiment of the Vedas, the promulgator of all knowledge. Yet, I ponder: is Brahman known through knowledge, or is it known by Brahman's own essence? Indeed, one who does not know cannot find Brahman; but for one who already knows, what further use is there for knowledge? That very knowledge shines forth by Brahman; how then can it be known by any other knowledge? (v.19-20). O Viṣṇu, O controller of all, please dispel this doubt of mine. I know You alone to be the supreme reality, as revealed by the scriptures (Śrutis)" (v.21).
**Śrī Kūrma said:**
"It (Brahman) is not known by knowledge, nor by any other means of proof. That Brahman is self-luminous, the very form of consciousness, beyond the universe. By whose light all this great triple world shines, how can another illumine that self-luminous lamp of knowledge? (v.22-23). The Śruti [Vedic scripture], by negating the notion of consciousness rooted in non-Ātman [non-Self] objects, reveals one's own true nature through the declaration 'not this, not this' (neti neti) (v.24). Therefore, the 'Veda-ness' of the Veda is that the eternal Viṣṇu is the knower, and He is known by that Veda—this is the definitive conclusion of Vedānta (v.25). You are the form of the Veda, and I, the imperishable Viṣṇu, am the one to be known. Knowledge of Me, for the twice-born who desire liberation, is dependent on you (v.26). You are the form of the word (śabda), and your consort is speech (vāk). The entire triple world, consisting of name and form, is the object (artha) (v.27). Thus, now, bring forth the manifestation of word and meaning in the world. Know Me, the foundational knowledge, as the illuminator of both word and meaning (v.28). O lotus-born, establish the entire universe on My back. I, whose form is the support of the universe, shall bear it in this form of a tortoise" (v.29).
**The Sadguru said:**
When Viṣṇu had thus spoken and ceased, Brahmā, the grandfather of the worlds, created the entire universe upon the back of the primeval Kūrma. Even today, the Lord Kūrma holds the three worlds, and therefore, everything remains firm and well-established. That very same Lord Kūrma, taking a form of Śālagrāma, mercifully granted His divine vision to King Śveta (v.30-32).
Here ends the twenty-ninth chapter, titled "The Glory of Śrī Kūrma Kṣetra," in the First Part of the Divyadeśavaibhavam, composed by Śrī Kṛṣṇapremi Mahāprabhu.
Thus ends Chapter 29, named "Śrī Kūrma Kṣetra Māhātmyam", in Prathama Bhāge, in the Divya Deśa Vaibhavam, composed by Śrī Kṛṣṇapremi Mahāprabhu.
