Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 53
Kapardeśvara at Piśācamocana — Liberation of a Piśāca and the Brahmapāra Hymn
इत्युक्त्वा भगवान् व्यासः शिष्यैः सह महामुनिः / उवास तत्र युक्तात्मा पूजयन् वै कपर्दिनम्
ityuktvā bhagavān vyāsaḥ śiṣyaiḥ saha mahāmuniḥ / uvāsa tatra yuktātmā pūjayan vai kapardinam
Having spoken thus, the revered sage Vyāsa, that great seer, stayed there together with his disciples—steadfast in yoga—worshipping Kapardin (Śiva), the Lord who bears the matted locks.
Purāṇic narrator (Sūta/compilation voice) describing Vyāsa’s action
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
By calling Vyāsa yuktātmā (“one whose self is yoked in yoga”), the verse points to inner integration—where the disciplined self becomes fit for devotion and realization, aligning worship (pūjā) with meditative steadiness.
The key practice implied is yuktatā—collectedness and restraint—where the sage remains settled (uvāsa) in a sacred place while sustaining worship. In Kurma Purana’s broader Shaiva-Yoga frame, such steadiness supports mantra, pūjā, and contemplative absorption rather than mere ritualism.
Even within a Vaiṣṇava-compiled Purāṇa, Vyāsa’s worship of Kapardin (Śiva) models the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis: devotion and yogic discipline can be directed to Śiva without contradicting the text’s wider unity-of-Iśvara outlook.