Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 66
Adhyāya 25 — Liṅga-māhātmya (The Chapter on the Liṅga): Hari’s Śiva-Worship and the Fiery Pillar Theophany
मार्कण्डेय उवाच कथं लिङ्गमभूत् पूर्वमैश्वरं परमं पदम् / प्रबोधार्थं स्वयं कृष्ण वक्तुमर्हसि सांप्रतम्
mārkaṇḍeya uvāca kathaṃ liṅgamabhūt pūrvamaiśvaraṃ paramaṃ padam / prabodhārthaṃ svayaṃ kṛṣṇa vaktumarhasi sāṃpratam
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “How did the Liṅga arise in the beginning—that sovereign emblem, the supreme abode? For the awakening of our understanding, O Kṛṣṇa, deign now to explain it yourself.”
Sage Mārkaṇḍeya
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It frames the Liṅga as “paramaṃ padam,” the supreme state/abode—pointing to the ultimate reality beyond ordinary forms, to be understood through awakened insight rather than mere ritual description.
The verse emphasizes prabodha (awakening) through divine instruction (upadeśa). In Kurma Purana’s broader yogic tone, such awakening aligns with contemplative inquiry, disciplined attention, and devotion that ripens into direct understanding.
A Shaiva symbol (Liṅga/Īśvara) is asked about directly to Kṛṣṇa (Viṣṇu) as the competent revealer—reflecting the Purana’s integrative stance where Śiva’s highest principle and Viṣṇu’s teaching authority converge in one supreme truth.