The Sanskrit word 'Kurma' (Devanagari: कूर्म) means 'Tortoise' and 'Turtle'. The tortoise incarnation of Vishnu is also referred to in post-Vedic literature such as the Bhagavata Purana as 'Kacchapam' (कच्छप), … See more

A.A. Macdonell, A.B. Keith, J. Roy, J. Dowson, and W.J. Wilkins all state that the origin of Kurma is in the Vedas, specifically the Shatapatha Brahmana (related to the YajurVeda), where the name is also synonymous with Kashyapa, one of the See more

J.W. Wilkins states that the 'probable' origin of Kurma is as an incarnation of Prajapati (i.e. Brahma) in the Shatapatha Brahmana (7:5:1:5-7), but as 'the worship of Brahma became … See more

M. Vettam notes that there are ten Vayus (Winds) in the body, one of which is called 'Kurma' in regards to opening and closing the eyes.
The 'kurma- See more

The Dashavataras are compared to evolution; Kurma - the amphibian - is regarded the next stage after Matysa, the fish. See more

Swami Achuthananda states that although varied like other legends, Vishnu's role is "limited" as Kurma, compared his other avatars.
The epics present the earliest known versions of the popular Samudra Manthana … See more

Iconography
The Samudra Manthana is popular in iconography and even found in South East Asia. Notable depictions include the relief at See more