Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 126
Dakṣa’s Progeny, Nṛsiṃha–Varāha Avatāras, and Andhaka’s Defeat
Hari–Hara–Śakti Synthesis
संप्राप्तमन्धकं दृष्ट्वा शङ्करः कालभैरवः / न्यषेधयदमेयात्मा कालरूपधरो हरः
saṃprāptamandhakaṃ dṛṣṭvā śaṅkaraḥ kālabhairavaḥ / nyaṣedhayadameyātmā kālarūpadharo haraḥ
অন্ধককে নিকটে আসতে দেখে শঙ্কর—কালভৈরব—অমেয় স্বরূপ, কালরূপধারী হর তাকে নিবৃত্ত করে থামালেন।
Narrator (Purāṇic narration, traditionally attributed within the Vyāsa-led transmission)
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
By calling Śiva “ameyātmā” (immeasurable in essence) and “kālarūpadhara” (assuming the form of Time), the verse presents the divine Self as beyond limitation, yet capable of manifesting as cosmic law (Kāla) to regulate the world.
No explicit technique is stated, but the imagery of “restraining” (nyaṣedhayat) aligns with yogic restraint—niyama and mastery over impulsive, dark forces (symbolized by Andhaka). In the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva framework, such restraint is perfected through Rudra-bhakti and Pāśupata-oriented discipline.
Though Śiva is foregrounded as Kālabhairava, the Kurma Purana’s broader synthesis treats the supreme governance of the cosmos—especially through Kāla—as a shared theological horizon where Hari and Hara function as complementary revelations of the same ultimate order.