Shloka 157
Devadāru (Dāruvana) Forest: The Delusion of Ritual Pride, the Liṅga Crisis, and the Teaching of Jñāna–Pāśupata Yoga
निरीक्षितास्ते परमेशपत्न्या तदन्तरे देवमशेषहेतुम् / पश्यन्ति शंभुं कविमीशितारं रुद्रं बृहन्तं पुरुषं पुराणम्
nirīkṣitāste parameśapatnyā tadantare devamaśeṣahetum / paśyanti śaṃbhuṃ kavimīśitāraṃ rudraṃ bṛhantaṃ puruṣaṃ purāṇam
Während sie von der Gemahlin des höchsten Herrn betrachtet wurden, erblickten sie in eben diesem Augenblick den Gott, der Ursache aller Ursachen ist—Śambhu, den seherischen Dichter und Herrscher: Rudra, den Weiten, den uralten Puruṣa.
Purāṇic narrator (Vyāsa/Sūta tradition), describing a theophany of Śiva
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
It presents Rudra-Śambhu as the “aśeṣa-hetu” (cause of all) and as the “puruṣaṁ purāṇam” (primordial Cosmic Person), implying the Supreme as the timeless ground of all manifestation—both immanent (as Puruṣa) and transcendent (as the ultimate cause).
The verse emphasizes darśana (direct spiritual vision) of Īśvara—seeing Śambhu as the inner controller (īśitā). In the Kurma Purana’s Pāśupata-oriented frame, this aligns with contemplative absorption on Rudra as the all-causal Lord, a meditative focus supporting devotion (bhakti) and discriminative insight (jñāna).
By describing Śiva as the supreme causal principle and primordial Puruṣa, the text participates in the Kurma Purana’s synthesis where the highest reality is one Īśvara, praised through complementary names and forms—supporting a non-sectarian, non-dual theological reading.