Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 17
Kapardeśvara at Piśācamocana — Liberation of a Piśāca and the Brahmapāra Hymn
अस्मिन् क्षेत्रे पुरा विप्रास्तपस्वी शंसितव्रतः / शङ्कुकर्ण इति ख्यातः पूजयामास शङ्करम् / जजाप रुद्रमनिशं प्रणवं ब्रह्मरूपिणम्
asmin kṣetre purā viprāstapasvī śaṃsitavrataḥ / śaṅkukarṇa iti khyātaḥ pūjayāmāsa śaṅkaram / jajāpa rudramaniśaṃ praṇavaṃ brahmarūpiṇam
In this holy region long ago, a Brahmin ascetic, renowned for his well-observed vows and known by the name Śaṅkukarṇa, worshipped Śaṅkara. He ceaselessly repeated the mantra of Rudra—namely the Pranava (Oṃ), the very form of Brahman.
Narrator (Purāṇic narration, traditionally Sūta reporting the sages’ dialogue; within Kurma Purana, the account is framed as sacred-kṣetra māhātmya narration)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
By identifying the Pranava (Oṃ) as “brahma-rūpin” (of the nature of Brahman), the verse implies that the highest Reality is accessible as the non-dual Brahman, while also being worshipped devotionally as Rudra/Śaṅkara—linking inner Self-knowledge with the supreme principle.
The verse highlights continuous japa (aniśaṃ-japa) of the Pranava as Rudra-mantra, paired with pūjā (ritual worship). In Kurma Purana’s spiritual idiom, this supports steady dhyāna through mantra-repetition, vow-discipline (vrata), and sustained remembrance—features aligned with Pāśupata-oriented Rudra-upāsanā.
Even while naming Śiva as Rudra/Śaṅkara, the verse frames his mantra as the Pranava—Brahman itself—reflecting the Kurma Purana’s synthesis where sectarian forms culminate in one supreme Brahman, allowing Śaiva devotion to harmonize with broader Vaiṣṇava-purāṇic non-dual theology.