Devadāru (Dāruvana) Forest: The Delusion of Ritual Pride, the Liṅga Crisis, and the Teaching of Jñāna–Pāśupata Yoga
एवं स्तुत्वा महादेवं प्रहृष्टेनान्तरात्मना / ऊचुः प्रणम्य गिरिशं पश्यामस्त्वां यथा पुरा
evaṃ stutvā mahādevaṃ prahṛṣṭenāntarātmanā / ūcuḥ praṇamya giriśaṃ paśyāmastvāṃ yathā purā
अशा रीतीने महादेवाची स्तुती करून, अंतःकरण आनंदाने भरून ते गिरिशाला नमस्कार करून म्हणाले—“हे प्रभो, पूर्वी जसे दर्शन दिले तसेच आम्हाला दर्शन द्या।”
The assembled devotees/sages (a group addressing Lord Shiva after praising him)
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
By saying “with the inner self (antar-ātmanā) filled with joy,” the verse implies that true praise culminates inwardly: devotion transforms the heart, and the experience of the divine is approached through inner purification rather than mere outward ritual.
The verse foregrounds a bhakti-oriented discipline: stuti (contemplative praise) joined with praṇāma (humble surrender). In the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva framework, such inner gladness and reverence become a preparatory limb for grace (anugraha) and darśana.
While explicitly addressing Śiva (Mahādeva/Girīśa), the Kurma Purana’s broader synthesis treats divine vision (darśana) as the fruit of sincere surrender to Īśvara—supporting a non-sectarian, complementary understanding of Śiva and Viṣṇu within one supreme reality.