Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 12
Rudrakoṭi, Madhuvana, Puṣpanagarī, and Kālañjara — Śveta’s Bhakti and the Subjugation of Kāla
श्वेतो नाम शिवे भक्तो राजर्षिप्रवरः पुरा / तदाशीस्तन्नमस्कारः पूजयामास शूलिनम्
śveto nāma śive bhakto rājarṣipravaraḥ purā / tadāśīstannamaskāraḥ pūjayāmāsa śūlinam
いにしえ、シヴァに篤く帰依する、シュヴェータという名の最勝の王仙がいた。祝福の言葉と恭敬の礼拝をもって、彼は三叉戟を執る主シューリンを供養した。
Narrator (Purāṇic narrator—traditionally Sūta/authorial voice, within the Kurma Purana’s ongoing dialogue framework)
Primary Rasa: bhakti (shanta)
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
Indirectly: it frames realization through devotion—Śveta approaches the Supreme via reverent worship of Śiva, implying that the highest truth is approached through surrender (bhakti) and disciplined reverence rather than mere status or power.
The verse highlights foundational devotional disciplines aligned with Purāṇic Yoga: namaskāra (humbling the ego through salutations) and pūjā (ritualized, focused worship), which steady the mind and orient the practitioner toward Īśvara—often treated as preparatory limbs to deeper contemplative absorption.
By presenting Śiva-worship as authoritative within the Kurma Purana’s broader theological frame, it supports the text’s synthesis: devotion to Śiva is upheld as a valid path within a Purāṇic worldview where sectarian devotion can converge toward one Īśvara.