Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 46
Kapardeśvara at Piśācamocana — Liberation of a Piśāca and the Brahmapāra Hymn
स्तुत्वैवं शङ्कुकर्णो ऽसौ भगवन्तं कपर्दिनम् / पपात दण्डवद् भूमौ प्रोच्चरन् प्रणवं परम्
stutvaivaṃ śaṅkukarṇo 'sau bhagavantaṃ kapardinam / papāta daṇḍavad bhūmau proccaran praṇavaṃ param
L’ayant ainsi loué, Śaṅkukarṇa célébra le Bienheureux Kapardin (Śiva), puis tomba à terre tel un bâton, en prosternation complète, en proférant à haute voix le Praṇava suprême : « Oṁ ».
Narrator (Purāṇic narrator describing Śaṅkukarṇa’s act of devotion)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
By centering worship on the supreme Praṇava (Oṁ), the verse points to the transcendent Absolute indicated by Oṁ— the highest reality toward which devotion and surrender are directed.
It highlights devotion expressed through daṇḍavat-pranāma (full prostration) combined with praṇava-ucchāraṇa (audible repetition of Oṁ), a classic Purāṇic integration of bodily discipline, mantra, and reverence aligned with Pāśupata-leaning Śaiva practice.
Though explicitly praising Śiva (Kapardin), the Kurma Purana’s broader theological frame often presents Śiva-devotion and the supreme mantra (Oṁ) as universally valid—supporting a Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis where ultimate reality is approached through either form without sectarian denial.