Viṣṇu at Upamanyu’s Āśrama: Pāśupata Tapas, Darśana of Śiva, and Boons from Devī
तुष्टाव मन्त्रैरमरप्रधानं बद्धाञ्जलिर्विष्णुरुदारबुद्धिः / प्रणम्य देव्या गिरिशं सभक्त्या स्वात्मन्यथात्मानमसौ विचिन्त्य
tuṣṭāva mantrairamarapradhānaṃ baddhāñjalirviṣṇurudārabuddhiḥ / praṇamya devyā giriśaṃ sabhaktyā svātmanyathātmānamasau vicintya
Dengan tangan dirapatkan dalam hormat, Viṣṇu—berbudi luhur—memuji Tuhan yang terunggul dalam kalangan para amara dengan mantra-mantra suci; lalu, setelah bersujud dengan bhakti kepada Girīśa (Śiva) bersama Dewi, dia merenungkan Sang Diri di dalam dirinya sendiri.
Suta (narrator) describing Vishnu’s act of praise and meditation
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
It presents Atman as directly realizable through inner contemplation: Vishnu turns from outer praise (mantra and namaskara) to inward meditation, recognizing the Self within the self—an Upanishadic, non-dual emphasis compatible with the Kurma Purana’s synthesis.
The verse models a progression used in Purana-based sadhana: mantra-stuti (hymnic recitation), añjali and praṇāma (devotional submission), and then dhyāna/vicāra (contemplative inquiry) focused on the indwelling Atman—aligned with Pashupata-influenced devotion culminating in inner realization.
Vishnu worships Girisha (Shiva) with full devotion, implying reverence rather than rivalry; the shift to contemplating the same Atman within underscores the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava harmony, where sectarian forms point toward one inner Self.