Shloka 14
Agnihotra, Seasonal Śrauta Duties, and the Authority of Śruti–Smṛti–Purāṇa
एष वै सर्वयज्ञानां सोमः प्रथम इष्यते / सोमेनाराधयेद् देवं सोमलोकमहेश्वरम्
eṣa vai sarvayajñānāṃ somaḥ prathama iṣyate / somenārādhayed devaṃ somalokamaheśvaram
Wahrlich, Soma gilt als der erste unter allen Opfern. Durch Soma soll man das Göttliche verehren—Maheshvara, den Herrn der Soma-Welt.
Narratorial instruction within the Purva-bhaga’s Shaiva-ritual teaching context (a sage-text voice presenting dharma and yajña doctrine).
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
By placing Maheshvara as the ultimate recipient and lord of the higher realm, the verse implies that ritual power (Soma) culminates in devotion to the supreme Lord who transcends the offering—pointing beyond the act to the divine ground of merit and liberation.
While framed as yajña, the practice emphasized is upāsanā—single-pointed worship (ārādhana) of Maheshvara through a sanctified offering. In Kurma Purana’s broader guidance, such disciplined worship supports inner purification that later matures into yogic steadiness (dhyāna) and Pashupata-oriented devotion.
Even within a Purana associated with Lord Kurma (Vishnu), the verse directs worship to Maheshvara, reflecting the text’s synthetic stance: sectarian boundaries are subordinated to a shared supreme divinity honored through both ritual and devotion.