Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 40
Sūrya-vaṃśa Genealogy and the Supremacy of Tapas: Gāyatrī-Japa, Rudra-Darśana, and Śatarudrīya Upadeśa
अत्रिरुवाच यतः सर्वमिदं जातं यस्यापत्यं प्रजापतिः / तपः सुमहदास्थाय पूज्यते स महेश्वरः
atriruvāca yataḥ sarvamidaṃ jātaṃ yasyāpatyaṃ prajāpatiḥ / tapaḥ sumahadāsthāya pūjyate sa maheśvaraḥ
Atri sprach: „Von Ihm ist dieses ganze Universum geboren, und selbst Prajāpati ist Seine Nachkommenschaft; jener Mahēśvara, fest gegründet in überaus großem Tapas, wird verehrt.“
Sage Atri
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It presents Mahēśvara as the ultimate causal source from whom “all this” arises, implying a supreme, prior reality that stands behind even cosmic creators like Prajāpati.
The verse foregrounds tapas (austerity/ascetic discipline) as a defining spiritual power—central to Śaiva-Pāśupata orientation—where inner heat, restraint, and sustained practice become the ground of worship and realization.
By portraying Mahēśvara as the supreme source worthy of worship, it supports the Purāṇic synthesis where sectarian forms point to one highest reality—Śiva and Viṣṇu functioning as complementary revelations of the same Supreme.