Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 27
Naimiṣa-kṣetra-prādurbhāva and Jāpyeśvara-māhātmya — Nandī’s Birth, Japa, and Consecration
अधीतवेदो भगवान् नन्दी मतिमनुत्तमाम् / चक्रे महेश्वरं द्रष्टुं जेष्ये मृत्युमिति प्रभुम्
adhītavedo bhagavān nandī matimanuttamām / cakre maheśvaraṃ draṣṭuṃ jeṣye mṛtyumiti prabhum
The blessed Nandī, learned in the Vedas, formed an unsurpassed resolve: “I shall behold Lord Mahēśvara; I shall conquer Death,” fixing his mind upon the Supreme Master.
Narrator (Purāṇic narrator continuing the account of Nandī)
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
By presenting “conquering Death” through Mahēśvara-darśana, the verse implies transcendence of mortality via realization of the deathless principle—attained when the mind is fixed on the supreme Lord, who is aligned with the imperishable Self.
The key practice is single-pointed resolve (mati) directed to the Lord—an inner discipline akin to dhyāna and īśvara-praṇidhāna—framed in a Pāśupata spirit: steadfast devotion and contemplative orientation toward Mahēśvara as the means to overcome fear and mortality.
Even within a Vaiṣṇava Purāṇa framework, the verse exalts Mahēśvara as “Prabhu,” reflecting the Kurma Purana’s synthesis: devotion to Śiva is upheld as a direct path to liberation, harmonized with broader Purāṇic non-sectarian theology.