Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 69
Viṣṇu at Upamanyu’s Āśrama: Pāśupata Tapas, Darśana of Śiva, and Boons from Devī
नमो ऽस्तु ते गिरीशाय स्वाहाकाराय ते नमः / नमो मुक्ताट्टहासाय भीमाय च नमो नमः
namo 'stu te girīśāya svāhākārāya te namaḥ / namo muktāṭṭahāsāya bhīmāya ca namo namaḥ
ഹേ ഗിരീശാ, നിനക്കു നമസ്കാരം; ‘സ്വാഹാ’കാരമായി നിലകൊള്ളുന്ന നിനക്കു പ്രണാമം. വിമുക്ത അട്ടഹാസമുള്ളവനേ നമസ്കാരം; ഭീമസ്വരൂപനേ, വീണ്ടും വീണ്ടും നമോ നമഃ.
A devotee/sage within the Purva-bhaga narrative offering a stuti (hymn) to Lord Shiva (contextual hymn-voice; not the Ishvara Gita discourse).
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
By praising Shiva as both transcendent (the awe-inspiring Bhīma) and immanent in ritual speech (“svāhā”), the verse points to the Supreme as present in inner consciousness and outer sacred action—one reality appearing as mantra, power, and divine presence.
The verse supports mantra-yoga and bhakti as preparatory disciplines: repeated salutations (japa-like remembrance) and contemplation of Shiva’s forms (Girīśa, Bhīma) stabilize attention, aligning inner intent with yajña-purity—an approach compatible with the Kurma Purana’s Pāśupata-oriented devotional framework.
Though addressed to Shiva, the Kurma Purana’s broader synthesis treats such praise as honoring the one Supreme through distinct names and functions—Shiva as the lord of ascetic power and yajña-mantra presence, harmonized with Vishnu’s cosmic governance in the Purana’s unified theistic vision.