Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 15
Oṅkāra-Liṅga and the Secret Pañcāyatana Liṅgas of Kāśī: Kṛttivāseśvara-Māhātmya
समभ्यर्च्य तथा शिष्यैर्माहात्म्यं कृत्तिवाससः / कथयामास शिष्येभ्यो भगवान् ब्रह्मवित्तमः
samabhyarcya tathā śiṣyairmāhātmyaṃ kṛttivāsasaḥ / kathayāmāsa śiṣyebhyo bhagavān brahmavittamaḥ
Having duly worshipped, together with his disciples, the sacred greatness of Kṛttivāsa (Śiva), the Blessed One—supreme among the knowers of Brahman—then narrated it to the disciples.
The Brahman-knowing revered narrator (a guru/sage figure) addressing his disciples
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
By calling the narrator “brahmavittamaḥ” (foremost knower of Brahman), the verse frames the teaching as grounded in Brahman-realization—implying that Śiva’s glory is to be understood not merely as mythic praise but as pointing toward the highest spiritual truth.
The verse highlights preparatory discipline: worship (abhyarcana) performed in a guru-disciple setting, which in the Kurma Purana functions as a bhakti-based foundation for higher knowledge (brahmavidyā) and Shaiva-oriented sādhanā (often connected in broader context with Pāśupata-style purification and devotion).
By presenting Śiva’s māhātmya as worthy of Brahman-knowledge transmission, the verse supports the Kurma Purana’s integrative stance: devotion to Śiva is treated as compatible with, and expressive of, the highest reality—an approach that harmonizes Shaiva praise within a broader Purāṇic non-sectarian theological frame.