Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 25
Divine Abodes on the Mountains — A Sacred Survey of Jambūdvīpa
Kailāsa to Siddha Realms
गजशैले तु दुर्गाया भवनं मणितारणम् / आस्ते भगवती दुर्गा तत्र साक्षान्महेश्वरी
gajaśaile tu durgāyā bhavanaṃ maṇitāraṇam / āste bhagavatī durgā tatra sākṣānmaheśvarī
Sur Gajaśaila se trouve le sanctuaire de Durgā, orné de joyaux. Là demeure la Déesse bienheureuse Durgā, manifestée en personne comme Maheśvarī, la Grande Souveraine.
Narrator (Purana voice, traditionally Suta conveying the Kurma Purana’s tirtha-mahatmya account)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
By identifying Durga as “sākṣāt maheśvarī,” the verse presents the Divine as directly manifest—pointing to the Purāṇic view that the Supreme Reality is approachable through a personal, immanent form without denying transcendence.
The verse itself is primarily tirtha-focused, but it supports a devotional-contemplative practice: dhyāna and upāsanā on the Goddess as living presence at a sacred seat (pīṭha), aligning with Purāṇic sādhanā that integrates mantra, pilgrimage, and inner recollection.
Calling Durga “Maheshvari” emphasizes Shakti as the power of Maheshvara (Shiva), while the Kurma Purana’s broader synthesis treats such manifestations as compatible with Vishnu’s cosmic order—devotion to Devi functions within a unified Shaiva–Vaishnava Purāṇic theology.