Shloka 1
Devadāru (Dāruvana) Forest: The Delusion of Ritual Pride, the Liṅga Crisis, and the Teaching of Jñāna–Pāśupata Yoga
इती श्रीकूर्मपुराणे षट्साहस्त्र्यां संहितायामुपरिविभागे षट्त्रिशो ऽध्यायः ऋषय ऊचुः कथं दारुवनं प्राप्तो भगवान् गोवृषध्वजः / मोहयामास विप्रेन्द्रान् सूत वक्तुमिहार्हसि
itī śrīkūrmapurāṇe ṣaṭsāhastryāṃ saṃhitāyāmuparivibhāge ṣaṭtriśo 'dhyāyaḥ ṛṣaya ūcuḥ kathaṃ dāruvanaṃ prāpto bhagavān govṛṣadhvajaḥ / mohayāmāsa viprendrān sūta vaktumihārhasi
ऋषी म्हणाले—हे सूत! गोवृषध्वज भगवान (शिव) दारुवनात कसे आले? आणि तेथील श्रेष्ठ ब्राह्मणांना त्यांनी कशा प्रकारे मोहग्रस्त केले? हे येथे सांगणे तुला योग्य आहे.
The Sages (Ṛṣayaḥ), addressing Sūta
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
Indirectly: by calling Śiva “Bhagavān,” the verse frames the coming narrative as a revelation of divine reality that overturns superficial ritual pride—pointing toward the deeper, inner principle beyond mere externals.
No specific practice is stated in this verse; it introduces a teaching narrative where delusion is removed—consistent with Purāṇic yoga pedagogy in which right knowledge and humility become prerequisites for higher disciplines such as Pāśupata-oriented devotion and inner restraint.
By foregrounding Śiva as “Bhagavān” within the Kurma Purana’s larger theological frame, it supports the text’s integrative stance: the supreme is honored through both Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava idioms, with narratives used to reveal one ultimate divinity expressed in multiple forms.