Adhyāya 25 — Liṅga-māhātmya (The Chapter on the Liṅga): Hari’s Śiva-Worship and the Fiery Pillar Theophany
ज्वालामालावृताङ्गाय ज्वलनस्तम्भरूपिणे / नमः शिवाय शान्ताय ब्रह्मणे लिङ्गमूर्तये
jvālāmālāvṛtāṅgāya jvalanastambharūpiṇe / namaḥ śivāya śāntāya brahmaṇe liṅgamūrtaye
Verehrung Śiva, dessen Glieder von Flammengirlanden umwunden sind, der als lodernde Feuersäule erscheint; Verehrung dem Friedvollen, dem Brahman selbst, dessen Gestalt der Liṅga ist.
A narrator/reciter within the Purāṇic discourse (stuti addressed to Lord Śiva in the context of the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: raudra
By calling Śiva “Brahman” and identifying the Liṅga as his “mūrti,” the verse points to the Supreme as both transcendent (peaceful Brahman) and immanent (a worshipful form), implying the Atman’s ultimate identity with the Absolute beyond names and forms.
The verse supports a Pāśupata-style contemplative devotion: steadying the mind on the paradox of the fiery cosmic pillar (tejas) and the inner peace (śānti), using Liṅga-upāsanā as an icon of concentrated meditation on the formless Brahman.
In the Kurma Purana’s integrative theology, naming Śiva as Brahman frames him as the same Supreme reality revered across sectarian forms—supporting the non-dual thrust that Śiva and Viṣṇu are expressions of one ultimate Ishvara.