Incarnations of Mahādeva in Kali-yuga (Vaivasvata Manvantara) and the Nakulīśa Horizon
सुमुखो दुर्मुखश्चैव दुर्दमो दुरतिक्रमः / सनः सनातनश्चैव मुकारश्च सनन्दनः
sumukho durmukhaścaiva durdamo duratikramaḥ / sanaḥ sanātanaścaiva mukāraśca sanandanaḥ
彼は吉祥の面をもつ者(スムカ)であり、また恐るべき面をもつ者(ドゥルムカ)でもある。征服し得ぬ者(ドゥルダマ)、越え難き者(ドゥラティクラマ)。彼はサナ、そして永遠なるサナータナ。彼は聖なる音節「ム」であり、またサナンダナでもある。
Traditional narrator within the Purana presenting the Lord’s names (Sahasranama style), ultimately referring to Lord Kurma/Vishnu as the Supreme
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
By pairing opposites—auspicious and fearsome, gentle and unrestrainable—the verse implies the Supreme is beyond limited human categories, encompassing all powers while remaining eternal (sanātana) and unsurpassable (duratikrama).
The verse supports nāma-smaraṇa and mantra-oriented contemplation: meditating on divine names and seed-sounds (like “mukāra”) to steady the mind and recognize the Lord as the inner, timeless reality.
Though framed as names of Vishnu/Kurma, the theology is synthetic: the Supreme is described as all-encompassing and beyond form-limits, aligning with Purāṇic non-dual devotion where sectarian distinctions (Śaiva/Vaiṣṇava) are harmonized in one Ishvara.