Adhyāya 25 — Liṅga-māhātmya (The Chapter on the Liṅga): Hari’s Śiva-Worship and the Fiery Pillar Theophany
एतल्लिङ्गस्य माहात्म्यं भाषितं ते मयानघ / एतद् बुध्यन्ति योगज्ञा न देवा न च दानवाः
etalliṅgasya māhātmyaṃ bhāṣitaṃ te mayānagha / etad budhyanti yogajñā na devā na ca dānavāḥ
Wahai yang suci tanpa noda, telah aku nyatakan kepadamu keagungan Liṅga ini. Kebenaran ini difahami oleh mereka yang mahir dalam Yoga—bukan oleh para dewa, dan bukan pula oleh para danava.
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing a royal/sage interlocutor within the Purana’s Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis context
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
It implies that ultimate truth is realized through yogic insight rather than status or power; even gods and demons may miss it, while disciplined yogins awaken to it—pointing to inner realization as the gateway to the highest reality.
The verse foregrounds yoga-jñāna—realized yogic knowledge—suggesting practices of inner discipline (dhyāna, samādhi, and viveka) by which the Liṅga’s deeper meaning is directly known, aligning with the Kurma Purana’s Pāśupata-oriented emphasis on experiential realization.
With Vishnu (as Kurma) expounding the Liṅga’s greatness, the text frames Shiva-tattva as fully authoritative within a Vaishnava narration—supporting the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian, unity-of-Ishvara approach.