Adhyāya 25 — Liṅga-māhātmya (The Chapter on the Liṅga): Hari’s Śiva-Worship and the Fiery Pillar Theophany
ब्रह्मणे वामदेवाय त्रिनेत्राय महीयसे / शङ्कराय महेशाय गिरीशाय शिवाय च
brahmaṇe vāmadevāya trinetrāya mahīyase / śaṅkarāya maheśāya girīśāya śivāya ca
Sembah sujud kepada Brahman, Yang Mutlak; kepada Vāmadeva; kepada Yang Bermata Tiga; kepada Yang Maha Agung lagi Mulia. Sembah sujud kepada Śaṅkara, kepada Maheśa, kepada Girīśa (Tuan segala gunung), dan juga kepada Śiva.
A narrator/reciter within the Purana (hymnic praise section addressing Lord Shiva/Rudra)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
By saluting Shiva as “Brahman,” the verse identifies the Lord with the Absolute reality—implying the Supreme Self is not merely a deity-form but the transcendent Brahman, approached through divine epithets.
The verse supports mantra-based upāsanā: contemplation through sacred names (nāma-smaraṇa) and reverential salutations (namas), a devotional discipline that steadies the mind and aligns it with Īśvara—often treated as a preparatory limb for higher Pāśupata-oriented practice.
By framing Shiva with the title “Brahman,” the verse leans toward a non-sectarian, non-dual reading typical of the Kurma Purana’s synthesis—where the supreme reality can be praised as Shiva (and elsewhere as Vishnu/Kurma) without contradiction.