Shloka 116
Īśvara-Gītā (continued): Twofold Yoga, Aṣṭāṅga Discipline, Pāśupata Meditation, and the Unity of Nārāyaṇa–Maheśvara
ये ऽन्यथा मां प्रपश्यन्ति मत्वेमं देवतान्तरम् / ते यान्ति नरकान् घोरान् नाहं तेषुव्यवस्थितः
ye 'nyathā māṃ prapaśyanti matvemaṃ devatāntaram / te yānti narakān ghorān nāhaṃ teṣuvyavasthitaḥ
وأما الذين يرونني على غير هذا، ويظنونني مجردَ إلهٍ آخرَ منفصل، فإنهم يمضون إلى جحيمٍ مهول؛ ولستُ مستقِرًّا فيهم.
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) teaching the Ishvara Gita to the sages (in the Indradyumna-related dialogue frame)
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: raudra
FAQs
It implies the Supreme is not a limited, sectarian “other deity”; misconceiving the Supreme as merely one among many blocks true realization and grace, leading away from liberation.
The verse supports Ishvara-centric discipline: right view (samyag-darśana) and single-pointed devotion as prerequisites for higher Yoga (including Pāśupata-oriented inner worship), since wrong cognition undermines meditative absorption.
In the Ishvara Gita’s synthesis, the warning is against fragmenting the Supreme into “another deity”; it points to one Ishvara beyond divisive labeling, aligning with the Purana’s non-dual Shaiva–Vaishnava reconciliation.