Shloka 17
Devadāru (Dāruvana) Forest: The Delusion of Ritual Pride, the Liṅga Crisis, and the Teaching of Jñāna–Pāśupata Yoga
पदे निपेतुः स्मितमाचरन्ति गायन्ति गीतानि मुनीशपुत्राः / आलोक्य पद्मापतिमादिदेवं भ्रूभङ्गमन्ये विचरन्ति तेन
pade nipetuḥ smitamācaranti gāyanti gītāni munīśaputrāḥ / ālokya padmāpatimādidevaṃ bhrūbhaṅgamanye vicaranti tena
فمنهم من خرَّ عند قدميه، ومنهم من تبسّم تبسّمَ توقيرٍ مفعمٍ بالسرور، وأبناءُ المها رِشي أنشدوا الترانيم. ولمّا أبصر آخرون بَدْمابَتي—الإلهَ الأوّل—راحوا يتحرّكون ووجوهُهم عابسةٌ وحواجبُهم معقودة، لما أصابهم من هولِ المشهد.
Purāṇic narrator (Vyāsa/Sūta-style narration) describing the assembly’s responses on seeing Vishnu (Padmāpati)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It presents the Supreme as Ādideva, whose direct darśana evokes involuntary transformations of mind and body—prostration, song, smiling awe—implying a transcendent Reality that exceeds ordinary cognition and reorganizes consciousness.
The verse highlights darśana-bhakti as a yogic catalyst: surrender (pāda-prapatti), mantra-like singing (gīta/stuti), and intense one-pointed absorption (seen even as furrowed-brow concentration). In Kurma Purana’s spirit, these become supports for inner steadiness leading toward higher yoga.
By calling Vishnu “Ādideva” and showing multiple devotional bhāvas, it supports the Purāṇa’s synthetic theology: the Supreme may be approached through different temperaments, aligning with the text’s broader Shaiva–Vaishnava non-sectarian vision of one ultimate Lord.