Devadāru (Dāruvana) Forest: The Delusion of Ritual Pride, the Liṅga Crisis, and the Teaching of Jñāna–Pāśupata Yoga
आसीनमासने रम्ये नानाश्चर्यसमन्विते / प्रभासहस्रकलिले ज्ञानैश्वर्यादिसंयुते
āsīnamāsane ramye nānāścaryasamanvite / prabhāsahasrakalile jñānaiśvaryādisaṃyute
তেওঁ নানাবিধ আশ্চৰ্যৰে অলংকৃত মনোৰম আসনত আসীন আছিল; সহস্ৰ দীপ্তিৰ প্ৰভাৰে পৰিপূৰ্ণ, জ্ঞান-ঐশ্বৰ্য আদি দিৱ্য গুণে সমন্বিত।
Narrator (Purāṇic narration describing the Lord’s manifested form in the dialogue setting of the Upari-bhaga/Ishvara-Gita frame)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
It portrays the Supreme as Īśvara—manifesting unsurpassed splendor while remaining essentially characterized by jñāna (spiritual knowledge) and aiśvarya (sovereign lordship), indicating a conscious, self-luminous reality that can be directly “seen” in divine revelation.
The verse supports īśvara-dhyāna: contemplation on the Lord’s radiant form and attributes (jñāna, aiśvarya, etc.), a common Purāṇic aid for steadiness of mind and devotion that complements Pāśupata-oriented discipline emphasized in the Kurma Purana’s Upari-bhaga.
By describing Īśvara through universal divine qualities (jñāna, aiśvarya and allied excellences) rather than sectarian limitation, it aligns with the Kurma Purana’s synthetic approach where the Supreme may be praised in forms associated with both Vaiṣṇava and Śaiva revelation.