Mahapurana #15 of 18 · tamasic · Mixed
कूर्म पुराण
Kurma Purana
Kūrma Purāṇa
Verses: 17,000 · Best known for: Ishvara-gita (Shiva’s teaching on yoga)
Central theme
The Kurma (tortoise) avatar narrating yoga, Ishvara-gita, and Vyasa-gita
Summary
Narrated by Vishnu in his Kurma form during the churning of the ocean. Notable for containing two important Gitas (Ishvara-gita + Vyasa-gita) embedded within — bridging puranic + Upanishadic teaching.
Notable stories + sections
- ●Samudra-manthan (ocean churning)
- ●Ishvara-gita (Shiva teaching yoga)
- ●Vyasa-gita
- ●Geography of the seven dvipas
Why read it
Rare puranic text with full-length philosophical Gitas inside.