Shloka 88
Adhyāya 25 — Liṅga-māhātmya (The Chapter on the Liṅga): Hari’s Śiva-Worship and the Fiery Pillar Theophany
एवं संस्तूयमानस्तु व्यक्तो भूत्वा महेश्वरः / भाति देवो महायोगी सूर्यकोटिसमप्रभः
evaṃ saṃstūyamānastu vyakto bhūtvā maheśvaraḥ / bhāti devo mahāyogī sūryakoṭisamaprabhaḥ
So, während er mit Hymnen gepriesen wurde, trat Mahēśvara offenbar hervor; der göttliche Große Yogi erstrahlte, gleich dem Glanz von zehn Millionen Sonnen.
Narrator (Purana voice, traditionally Suta reporting the sacred account)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
By portraying Maheshvara as becoming “manifest” in response to stuti, the verse points to the Purāṇic idea that the Supreme is ever-present yet becomes experientially evident (vyakta) to purified awareness—His radiance symbolizes consciousness revealed rather than something newly created.
The epithet “mahāyogī” frames Shiva as the archetype of Yoga—mastery of inner stillness and divine power (yoga-śakti). In Kurma Purana’s Shaiva milieu, such manifestation is associated with disciplined devotion, mantra and praise (stotra), and yogic concentration culminating in darśana.
Though Vishnu is central to the Kurma Purana, this verse exalts Shiva as the supreme yogic Lord whose presence is revealed through devotion; this supports the text’s synthesis where Shiva’s and Vishnu’s divinity is presented as mutually honoring and ultimately non-contradictory within one supreme reality.