Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 142
Dakṣa’s Progeny, Nṛsiṃha–Varāha Avatāras, and Andhaka’s Defeat
Hari–Hara–Śakti Synthesis
दृष्ट्वा देवी महादेवं प्रीतिविस्फारितेक्षणा / ननाम शिरसा तस्य पादयोरीश्वरस्य सा
dṛṣṭvā devī mahādevaṃ prītivisphāritekṣaṇā / nanāma śirasā tasya pādayorīśvarasya sā
Voyant Mahādeva, la Déesse — les yeux épanouis de joie — inclina la tête et se prosterna aux pieds de ce Seigneur, Īśvara.
Narrator (Purāṇic narration by the Sūta/Vyāsa tradition, describing Devī’s act)
Primary Rasa: shringara
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
By calling Mahādeva “Īśvara” and depicting worship at his feet, the verse points to the Supreme Lord as the worthy refuge; devotion (bhakti) here functions as a direct orientation of the self toward the highest reality.
The verse highlights bhakti-yoga through embodied reverence—darśana (seeing the deity) followed by praṇāma (bowing). Such disciplined humility is a foundational sādhana that supports inner concentration and surrender central to Śaiva practice.
In the Kurma Purana’s integrative theology, honoring Śiva as Īśvara reinforces the text’s broad Śaiva-Vaiṣṇava harmony: the Supreme is approached through devotion, and sectarian boundaries are softened by shared lordship and reverence.