Adhyāya 25 — Liṅga-māhātmya (The Chapter on the Liṅga): Hari’s Śiva-Worship and the Fiery Pillar Theophany
सुरम्ये मण्डपे शुभ्रे शङ्खाद्यैः परिवारितः / आत्मजैरभितो मुख्यैः स्त्रीसहस्त्रैश्च संवृतः
suramye maṇḍape śubhre śaṅkhādyaiḥ parivāritaḥ / ātmajairabhito mukhyaiḥ strīsahastraiśca saṃvṛtaḥ
सुरम्य और उज्ज्वल मण्डप में, शङ्ख आदि प्रमुख सेवकों से घिरे हुए, अपने श्रेष्ठ पुत्रों से चारों ओर आवृत, और सहस्रों स्त्रियों से भी परिपूर्ण थे।
Narrator (Purāṇic narrator continuing the royal/cosmic scene description; traditionally Sūta or Vyāsa in frame narration)
Primary Rasa: shringara
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
This verse is primarily descriptive and does not directly teach Ātman-doctrine; it sets a worldly scene of majesty and prosperity that later Purāṇic teaching often contrasts with inner renunciation and devotion to the Supreme.
No explicit Yoga practice is taught in this line; it functions as narrative atmosphere. In the Kurma Purana, such depictions commonly frame later instructions on dharma, devotion (bhakti), and Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis, including Pāśupata-oriented discipline in other sections.
This verse does not mention Śiva or Viṣṇu directly; it is a courtly tableau. The Kurma Purana’s broader method is to embed later non-dual and harmonizing theology (Śiva–Viṣṇu unity) within such narrative settings.