Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 99
Cosmic Manifestation, Mahāmāyā’s Mandate, Varṇāśrama-Dharma, and the Unity of the Trimūrti
तल्लिङ्गधारी सततं तद्भक्तजनवत्सलः / ध्यायेदथार्चयेदेतान् ब्रह्मविद्यापरायणः
talliṅgadhārī satataṃ tadbhaktajanavatsalaḥ / dhyāyedathārcayedetān brahmavidyāparāyaṇaḥ
जो सदैव ते पवित्र लिंगचिन्ह धारण करतो, भक्तजनांवर वात्सल्य ठेवतो आणि ब्रह्मविद्येत परायण असतो—त्याने प्रथम यांचे (दिव्य स्वरूपांचे) ध्यान करून मग अर्चना करावी।
Lord Kūrma (Viṣṇu) instructing the sages/seekers (as preserved in the Kaurma teaching stream)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
By praising the practitioner who is “brahma-vidyā-parāyaṇa,” the verse frames worship as grounded in realization-oriented knowledge of Brahman—suggesting that true devotion culminates in insight into the Supreme Self.
It explicitly gives the sequence dhyāna (meditative contemplation) followed by arcana (ritual worship), aligning with Purāṇic/Pāśupata discipline where inner absorption is supported by outer devotion and sacred observance (liṅga-dhāraṇa).
Though voiced within a Vaiṣṇava Purāṇa setting, it endorses Śaiva liṅga-symbolism and devotion to Śiva’s devotees while grounding the goal in Brahman-knowledge—typical of the Kūrma Purāṇa’s non-sectarian, unity-oriented synthesis.