Rudrakoṭi, Madhuvana, Puṣpanagarī, and Kālañjara — Śveta’s Bhakti and the Subjugation of Kāla
प्रेक्ष्यायान्तं शैलपुत्रीमथेशः सो ऽन्वीक्ष्यान्ते विश्वमायाविधिज्ञः / सावज्ञं वै वामपादेन मृत्युं श्वेतस्यैनं पश्यतो व्याजघान
prekṣyāyāntaṃ śailaputrīmatheśaḥ so 'nvīkṣyānte viśvamāyāvidhijñaḥ / sāvajñaṃ vai vāmapādena mṛtyuṃ śvetasyainaṃ paśyato vyājaghāna
そのとき、世のマーヤーのはたらきを知り尽くすイーシャ(シヴァ)は、シャイラプトリー(パールヴァティー)が近づくのを見た。ひとたび眼差しを投げ、左足で死そのもの(ムリティユ)を侮るように踏み倒し、シュヴェータはそれを見守っていた。
Purāṇic narrator (Vyāsa/Śaunaka-style narration) describing Śiva’s act in the Śveta episode
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: vira
By presenting Īśa as “knower of the operations of the world’s māyā,” the verse implies a Lord who stands above māyā and can override even death—pointing to the transcendent, deathless principle that devotees seek as the Supreme Self.
The verse foregrounds īśvara-prasāda (grace of the Lord) rather than a technique: the devotee Śveta witnesses the Lord’s intervention. In the Kurma Purana’s broader Shaiva framework, this supports bhakti joined to discipline—steadfast remembrance and surrender as a yogic means that culminates in divine protection.
Though the scene centers on Śiva, the Kurma Purana’s synthesis treats supreme lordship as one reality expressed through forms; Śiva’s mastery over māyā and death complements the Purana’s wider teaching of a unified Ishvara beyond sectarian division.