Rudra’s Cosmic Dance and the Recognition of Rudra–Nārāyaṇa Unity (Īśvara-gītā Continuation)
दृष्ट्वाथ रुद्रं जगदीशितारं तं पद्मनाभाश्रितवामभागम् / ध्यात्वा हृदिस्थं प्रणिपत्य मूर्ध्ना बद्ध्वाञ्जलिं स्वेषु शिरःसु भूयः
dṛṣṭvātha rudraṃ jagadīśitāraṃ taṃ padmanābhāśritavāmabhāgam / dhyātvā hṛdisthaṃ praṇipatya mūrdhnā baddhvāñjaliṃ sveṣu śiraḥsu bhūyaḥ
Dann erblickten sie Rudra, den Weltenherrscher, dessen linke Seite von Padmanābha (Viṣṇu) gestützt war. Ihn als im Herzen wohnend betrachtend, verneigten sie sich mit dem Haupt; und erneut legten sie die gefalteten Hände im Añjali auf ihre eigenen Häupter in Ehrfurcht.
Sūta (narrator) describing the sages’/devotees’ response to the vision of Rudra-Nārāyaṇa
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
By directing meditation to Rudra as “hṛdistha”—present within the heart—the verse points to Īśvara’s immanence: the divine is not only cosmic ruler but also inwardly accessible as the indwelling reality.
It emphasizes dhyāna (contemplation of the deity within the heart) combined with bhakti-aṅgas: praṇipāta (bowing) and añjali (joined palms), a devotional-meditative discipline aligned with Purāṇic and Pāśupata-oriented reverence.
Rudra is seen with Padmanābha abiding on his left side, presenting a unified divinity—Śiva and Viṣṇu as mutually indwelling and non-opposed—supporting the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis.