Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 15
Sūrya-vaṃśa Genealogy and the Supremacy of Tapas: Gāyatrī-Japa, Rudra-Darśana, and Śatarudrīya Upadeśa
यस्य पुत्रः स्वयं ब्रह्मा पौत्रः स्यान्नीललोहितः / तमादिकृष्णमीशानमाराध्याप्नोति सत्सुतम्
yasya putraḥ svayaṃ brahmā pautraḥ syānnīlalohitaḥ / tamādikṛṣṇamīśānamārādhyāpnoti satsutam
Wessen Sohn selbst Brahmā wird und wessen Enkel Nīlalohita (Rudra) wird: Wer jenen Īśāna, den Ādikṛṣṇa, den uranfänglichen Dunklen, verehrt, erlangt einen tugendhaften und vortrefflichen Sohn.
Sūta (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya), within a Purāṇic discourse praising Īśāna worship
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
By presenting Īśāna as the source whose grace can yield even cosmic-status progeny (Brahmā, Rudra), the verse implies a single supreme Lord whose power underlies all levels of manifestation—hinting at one ultimate divine reality behind creator and destroyer functions.
The verse emphasizes ārādhana (devotional propitiation) of Īśāna—typically involving mantra-japa, pūjā, and disciplined conduct. In Kurma Purāṇa’s Shaiva frame, such worship aligns with Pāśupata-oriented devotion where inner purity and steady contemplation support the fruit of grace.
Using exalted epithets like Īśāna and Ādikṛṣṇa, the verse reflects the Purāṇic synthesis where supreme lordship is affirmed through shared divine titles—supporting a non-sectarian understanding that Śiva’s supremacy can be praised without denying the broader unity of the divine.