Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 36
Divine Abodes on the Mountains — A Sacred Survey of Jambūdvīpa
Kailāsa to Siddha Realms
नद्यो विमलपानीयाश्चित्रनीलोत्पलाकराः / कर्णिकारवनं द्विव्यं तत्रास्ते शङ्करोमया
nadyo vimalapānīyāścitranīlotpalākarāḥ / karṇikāravanaṃ dvivyaṃ tatrāste śaṅkaromayā
तेथे निर्मळ पाण्याच्या नद्या आहेत, ज्या चित्रविचित्र नीलोत्पलांच्या ताटव्यांनी शोभतात; तेथे दिव्य कर्णिकारवनही आहे—आणि तेथेच मी शंकर, माझ्या स्वशक्तीने, विराजतो।
Shiva (Śaṅkara), describing his sacred abode/region
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
By stating “there I abide—Śaṅkara—by my own power,” the verse hints at īśvaratva (divine sovereignty): the Lord is not dependent on external supports, but is self-established and manifests sanctity in a place through his own śakti.
No direct technique is prescribed in this verse; it functions as a tirtha-indication. In Kurma Purana practice, such a description supports dhyāna and japa by providing a sacred locus (kshetra) where purity (vimalapānīya) and divine presence aid concentration and inner purification.
While Vishnu is not named here, the Kurma Purana’s broader Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis frames Shiva’s abode-description as part of one integrated sacred landscape, where devotion to Śaṅkara harmonizes with the Purana’s overarching theology rather than competing with it.