Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 4
Bāṇa’s Śiva-bhakti and the Genealogy of Kaśyapa’s Descendants
Manvantara Lineages
व्याहृतो दैवदैः सर्वैर्देवदेवो महेश्वरः / ददाह बाणस्य पुरं शरेणैकेन लीलया
vyāhṛto daivadaiḥ sarvairdevadevo maheśvaraḥ / dadāha bāṇasya puraṃ śareṇaikena līlayā
Von allen Göttern herbeigerufen, erschien der Gott der Götter—Mahādeva Maheśvara—und verbrannte, in göttlicher Līlā gleich einem Spiel, Bāṇas Stadt mit nur einem einzigen Pfeil.
Purāṇic narrator (Sūta/Ākhyāna voice) describing Śiva’s act within the narrative
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: raudra
FAQs
By depicting Maheśvara acting effortlessly (“līlayā”), the verse points to the Supreme as self-sufficient power—action arising from sovereignty rather than need, a hallmark of īśvaratva (lordship) often aligned with the Purāṇa’s non-dual theism.
No specific technique is taught in this line, but it supports a key yogic attitude: contemplation of the Lord’s effortless mastery (aiśvarya) to cultivate śraddhā and one-pointed devotion—foundational for Pāśupata-oriented discipline and bhakti-infused meditation in the Kūrma tradition.
Though Śiva is foregrounded as “devadeva,” the Kūrma Purāṇa typically frames such supremacy within a harmonizing theology where the Supreme is honored through both Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava names—supporting unity rather than sectarian separation.