Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 23
Avimukta-Māhātmya — Vyāsa in Vārāṇasī and Śiva’s Secret Teaching of Liberation
तत्र भक्ता महादेवि मदीयं व्रतमास्थिताः / निवसन्ति महात्मानः परं नियममास्थिताः
tatra bhaktā mahādevi madīyaṃ vratamāsthitāḥ / nivasanti mahātmānaḥ paraṃ niyamamāsthitāḥ
वहाँ, हे महादेवी, मेरे व्रत को धारण किए हुए भक्त निवास करते हैं—वे महात्मा हैं, जो परम नियम और संयम में स्थित रहते हैं।
Lord Shiva (addressing Mahadevi/Parvati)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
By praising those established in the “highest niyama,” the verse points to inner mastery and steadiness—traits traditionally associated with Atman-realization, where the disciplined mind abides in its own luminous nature rather than in outward restlessness.
The verse emphasizes vrata (regulated sacred observance) and niyama (ethical-religious restraints). In Yoga-shastra terms, niyama supports concentration and meditation by purifying conduct, stabilizing the senses, and making devotion (bhakti) a sustained practice rather than a momentary emotion.
While explicitly Shaiva in voice (“my vrata”), the Kurma Purana’s broader synthesis frames such disciplined devotion as a shared path to the one Supreme—harmonizing Shaiva vrata-niyama with the Purana’s wider Hari-Hara unity ethos.