Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 74
Devī-tattva, Śakti–Śaktimān doctrine, Kāla–Māyā cosmology, and Māheśvara Yoga instruction
दृष्ट्वा तदीदृशं रूपं देव्या माहेश्वरं परम् / भयेन च समाविष्टः स राजा हृष्टमानसः
dṛṣṭvā tadīdṛśaṃ rūpaṃ devyā māheśvaraṃ param / bhayena ca samāviṣṭaḥ sa rājā hṛṣṭamānasaḥ
Als er diese Gestalt sah—die höchste, maheśvara‑gleiche Erscheinung der Göttin—wurde der König von ehrfürchtigem Schauder ergriffen, doch sein Geist war von Freude erfüllt.
Narrator (Purāṇic narrator continuing the Ishvara Gita context, describing the king’s response)
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It portrays the Supreme as a manifest, overwhelming reality that evokes both bhaya (awe) and harṣa (inner joy), indicating the Atman/Iśvara is not merely conceptual but directly experiential in darśana.
The verse emphasizes the fruit of contemplative absorption leading to darśana—where the practitioner’s mind can hold reverent awe without collapse, a hallmark of disciplined devotion aligned with Pāśupata-oriented Śaiva practice within the Ishvara Gita setting.
By describing a “māheśvara” (Śiva-character) supreme form within the Kurma Purana’s Ishvara Gita stream, it supports the text’s synthesis: the Supreme can be approached through Śaiva imagery without contradicting the broader Vaiṣṇava frame of the Purāṇa.