Devadāru (Dāruvana) Forest: The Delusion of Ritual Pride, the Liṅga Crisis, and the Teaching of Jñāna–Pāśupata Yoga
प्राणाय च नमस्तुभ्यं नमो भस्माङ्गरागिने / नमस्ते घनवाहाय दंष्ट्रिणे वह्निरेतसे
prāṇāya ca namastubhyaṃ namo bhasmāṅgarāgine / namaste ghanavāhāya daṃṣṭriṇe vahniretase
പ്രാണസ്വരൂപനേ, നിനക്കു നമസ്കാരം; ഭസ്മം പൂശിയ അങ്കധാരീ പ്രഭോ, നിനക്കു നമസ്കാരം. ഘനവാഹനനേ (മേഘവാഹനനേ) നമസ്കാരം; ദംഷ്ട്രിധാരീ, അഗ്നിബീജനേ, നമസ്കാരം.
A devotee/sage reciting a Rudra-stuti within the Kurma Purana’s Upari-bhaga context (Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis praise-section).
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: raudra
By saluting the deity as Prāṇa itself, the verse points to the indwelling principle that animates all beings—suggesting the Lord is present as the life-force within, not merely as an external form.
The focus on Prāṇa aligns with prāṇāyāma and inner contemplation, while the ash-mark (bhasma) evokes Pāśupata/Śaiva discipline—renunciation, purification, and identity with the Lord through sacred observance.
Though the epithets are Rudra-like, the verse appears inside a Purāṇic framework known for synthesis; it treats the praised Lord’s power (Prāṇa/Agni-tejas) as universal—supporting the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian, integrative theology.