Devadāru (Dāruvana) Forest: The Delusion of Ritual Pride, the Liṅga Crisis, and the Teaching of Jñāna–Pāśupata Yoga
सुपीतवसनं दिव्यं श्यामलं चारुलोचनम् / उदारहंसचलनं विलासि सुमनोहरम्
supītavasanaṃ divyaṃ śyāmalaṃ cārulocanam / udārahaṃsacalanaṃ vilāsi sumanoharam
ಅವಳು ದಿವ್ಯವಾದ ಪ್ರಕಾಶಮಾನ ಪೀತವಸ್ತ್ರಧಾರಿಣಿ; ಶ್ಯಾಮವರ್ಣೆ, ಚಾರುಲೋಚನೆ. ಉದಾರ ಹಂಸದಂತೆ ಗಮನೆ, ವಿಲಾಸಭಾವದಿಂದ ಮನಸ್ಸನ್ನು ಮೋಹಿಸುವವಳಾಗಿದ್ದಳು.
Narrator (Purāṇic narration describing the deity for dhyāna/upāsanā)
Primary Rasa: shringara
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
By presenting a luminous, auspicious form for contemplation, the verse supports saguna-upāsanā: the mind is steadied on the divine form, which serves as a doorway to realizing the inner Self beyond distraction.
It functions as a dhyāna-śloka: visualizing the Lord’s yellow garments, dark radiance, serene eyes, and swan-like gait—an aid to ekāgratā (one-pointedness) used in bhakti-yoga and purāṇic upāsanā, harmonizing devotion with yogic concentration.
Though it describes a Vaiṣṇava iconography (Nārāyaṇa-like form), the Kurma Purana’s broader synthesis treats such dhyāna as compatible with Śaiva-Pāśupata discipline—one supreme reality approached through multiple sacred forms and methods.