Shloka 9
Tīrtha-māhātmya and Rudra’s Samanvaya Teaching
Maṅkaṇaka Episode
तत्र लोकहितार्थाय रुद्रेण परमात्मना / शिलातले पदं न्यस्तं तत्र पितॄन् प्रसादयेत्
tatra lokahitārthāya rudreṇa paramātmanā / śilātale padaṃ nyastaṃ tatra pitṝn prasādayet
Là, pour le bien des mondes, Rudra—le Paramātman, le Soi suprême—posa l’empreinte de son pied sur une dalle de pierre. En ce lieu même, il convient d’apaiser les Pitṛ.
Traditional narration within the tīrtha-māhātmya style section (Purāṇic narrator describing a sacred place and its ritual fruit)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It identifies Rudra with the Paramātman, implying that the transcendent Self can be approached through sacred symbols and dharmic rites, uniting metaphysics with lived ritual practice.
Rather than a seated yoga technique, the verse emphasizes karmayoga-like sacred action: performing Pitṛ-propitiation (tarpaṇa/śrāddha) at a consecrated tīrtha, where devotion and right ritual become a means of purification.
By calling Rudra the Paramātman, the text supports the Purāṇic non-sectarian vision central to the Kūrma tradition—Śiva is treated as the supreme principle, consistent with the broader Shiva–Vishnu unity found across the Purāṇas.