Shloka 118
Devadāru (Dāruvana) Forest: The Delusion of Ritual Pride, the Liṅga Crisis, and the Teaching of Jñāna–Pāśupata Yoga
चरितानि विचित्राणि गुह्यानि गहनानि च / ब्रह्मादीनां च सर्वेषां दुर्विज्ञेयो ऽसि शङ्कर
caritāni vicitrāṇi guhyāni gahanāni ca / brahmādīnāṃ ca sarveṣāṃ durvijñeyo 'si śaṅkara
ព្រះកិច្ចរបស់ព្រះអង្គវិចិត្រអស្ចារ្យ—សម្ងាត់ និងជ្រៅជ្រះលំបាកយល់; សូម្បីតែព្រះព្រហ្មា និងទេវតាទាំងអស់ ក៏នៅតែពិបាកដឹងច្បាស់អំពីព្រះអង្គដែរ ឱ សង្ករា។
A devotee/sage addressing Lord Śiva (Śaṅkara) in praise within the Kurma Purana’s Śaiva-Vaiṣṇava synthesis context
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
By stressing that Śaṅkara is “difficult to know” even for Brahmā and the gods, the verse points to Īśvara as transcending ordinary cognition—known not merely by intellect but through inner realization grounded in dharma, yoga, and devotion.
No single technique is named, but the verse supports the Kurma Purana’s yogic stance (often framed in Pāśupata/Śaiva devotion): the deepest truths about Īśvara are accessed through disciplined sādhana—restraint, contemplation, and devotion—rather than through conceptual knowledge alone.
By portraying Śiva as an incomprehensible, supreme reality, the verse aligns with the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian theology where the highest Īśvara is one—revered as Śiva and also harmonized with Vaiṣṇava understandings of the Supreme.