Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 26
Rudrakoṭi, Madhuvana, Puṣpanagarī, and Kālañjara — Śveta’s Bhakti and the Subjugation of Kāla
प्रेक्ष्यायान्तं शैलपुत्रीमथेशः सो ऽन्वीक्ष्यान्ते विश्वमायाविधिज्ञः / सावज्ञं वै वामपादेन मृत्युं श्वेतस्यैनं पश्यतो व्याजघान
prekṣyāyāntaṃ śailaputrīmatheśaḥ so 'nvīkṣyānte viśvamāyāvidhijñaḥ / sāvajñaṃ vai vāmapādena mṛtyuṃ śvetasyainaṃ paśyato vyājaghāna
Da erblickte Īśa (Śiva) — der Kenner der Wirkweisen der weltlichen māyā — Śailaputrī (Pārvatī) herannahen. Mit einem Blick schlug er den Tod selbst (Mṛtyu) verächtlich mit seinem linken Fuß nieder, während Śveta es mit ansah.
Purāṇic narrator (Vyāsa/Śaunaka-style narration) describing Śiva’s act in the Śveta episode
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
By presenting Īśa as “knower of the operations of the world’s māyā,” the verse implies a Lord who stands above māyā and can override even death—pointing to the transcendent, deathless principle that devotees seek as the Supreme Self.
The verse foregrounds īśvara-prasāda (grace of the Lord) rather than a technique: the devotee Śveta witnesses the Lord’s intervention. In the Kurma Purana’s broader Shaiva framework, this supports bhakti joined to discipline—steadfast remembrance and surrender as a yogic means that culminates in divine protection.
Though the scene centers on Śiva, the Kurma Purana’s synthesis treats supreme lordship as one reality expressed through forms; Śiva’s mastery over māyā and death complements the Purana’s wider teaching of a unified Ishvara beyond sectarian division.