Īśvara-gītā: Bhakti as the Supreme Means; the Three Śaktis; Non-compelled Lordship
यो वै निन्दति तं मूढो देवदेवं स निन्दति / यो हि तं पूजयेद् भक्त्या स पूजयति मां सदा
yo vai nindati taṃ mūḍho devadevaṃ sa nindati / yo hi taṃ pūjayed bhaktyā sa pūjayati māṃ sadā
മോഹത്തിൽ അവനെ നിന്ദിക്കുന്നവൻ ദേവദേവനെ തന്നെയാണ് നിന്ദിക്കുന്നത്. ഭക്തിയോടെ അവനെ പൂജിക്കുന്നവൻ എപ്പോഴും എന്നെയേ പൂജിക്കുന്നു.
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) teaching the unity of the Supreme as Devadeva
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: shanta
It implies a single Supreme Lord worthy of worship; to honor that Supreme is to honor the highest reality itself, while reviling Him is spiritual ignorance (mūḍhatā).
The verse foregrounds bhakti as a core discipline: steady, reverent worship (pūjā) directed to the Supreme, which in the Kurma Purana complements yogic restraint and devotion-centered sādhanā.
By using the title Devadeva while spoken by Lord Kurma, it supports a non-sectarian stance: worship of the Supreme Lord is not divided by names or forms, and devotion to that One is devotion to the highest.