Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 36
Devadāru (Dāruvana) Forest: The Delusion of Ritual Pride, the Liṅga Crisis, and the Teaching of Jñāna–Pāśupata Yoga
चकार महतीं पूजां प्रार्थयामास भार्यया / को भवान् कुत आयातः किमाचारो भवानिति / उवाच तां महादेवः सिद्धानां प्रवरो ऽस्म्यहम्
cakāra mahatīṃ pūjāṃ prārthayāmāsa bhāryayā / ko bhavān kuta āyātaḥ kimācāro bhavāniti / uvāca tāṃ mahādevaḥ siddhānāṃ pravaro 'smyaham
彼は大いなる供養をなし、妻とともに恭しく祈り問うた。「あなたは誰か。いずこより来たのか。いかなる戒めと行いを守るのか。」そのときマハーデーヴァは彼女に告げた。「我はシッダたちの中の最上である。」
Mahadeva (Shiva)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
Indirectly: it foregrounds reverence (pūjā) and inquiry into right conduct (ācāra), implying that realization is approached through disciplined dharma and devotion to the divine—here revealed as Mahādeva among perfected beings.
The verse emphasizes pūjā (ritual-devotional discipline) and prārthanā (humble supplication) as preparatory sādhana; the focus on ācāra aligns with yoga as a lived observance (yama-niyama style discipline) within Purāṇic practice.
By presenting Mahādeva as a supreme spiritual authority within the same Purāṇic frame, it supports the Kurma Purana’s synthetic theology where Śiva and Viṣṇu are honored as convergent manifestations of the one divine reality.