Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 138
Dakṣa’s Progeny, Nṛsiṃha–Varāha Avatāras, and Andhaka’s Defeat
Hari–Hara–Śakti Synthesis
ततः क्रीडां महादेवः कृत्वा द्वादशवार्षिकीम् / हिताय लोके भक्तानामाजगामाथ मन्दरम्
tataḥ krīḍāṃ mahādevaḥ kṛtvā dvādaśavārṣikīm / hitāya loke bhaktānāmājagāmātha mandaram
Dann kam Mahādeva, nachdem Er zwölf Jahre lang Sein göttliches Līlā-Spiel vollzogen hatte, nach Mandara—zum Heil der Welt und zur Gnade für Seine Bhaktas.
Narrator (Purāṇic sūta-style narration within the chapter’s ongoing account)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
By presenting Mahādeva’s actions as “krīḍā” (divine play), the verse implies the Lord acts freely and compassionately for loka-hita, without worldly compulsion—an indicator of transcendence associated with the Supreme reality.
No specific technique is named, but the verse foregrounds bhakti (devotion) and divine grace (loka-hita for bhaktas), which in the Kurma Purana complements Pāśupata-oriented discipline by emphasizing surrender and the Lord’s compassionate intervention.
Even when focusing on Śiva as Mahādeva, the Kurma Purana’s broader theology frames such divine acts as universal welfare and protection of devotees—consistent with its Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis where supreme divinity is honored through both forms without sectarian negation.