Tīrtha-māhātmya and Rudra’s Samanvaya Teaching
Maṅkaṇaka Episode
तत्र लोकहितार्थाय रुद्रेण परमात्मना / शिलातले पदं न्यस्तं तत्र पितॄन् प्रसादयेत्
tatra lokahitārthāya rudreṇa paramātmanā / śilātale padaṃ nyastaṃ tatra pitṝn prasādayet
तत्र लोकहितार्थाय रुद्रेण परमात्मना। शिलातले पदं न्यस्तं तत्र पितॄन् प्रसादयेत्॥
Traditional narration within the tīrtha-māhātmya style section (Purāṇic narrator describing a sacred place and its ritual fruit)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
It identifies Rudra with the Paramātman, implying that the transcendent Self can be approached through sacred symbols and dharmic rites, uniting metaphysics with lived ritual practice.
Rather than a seated yoga technique, the verse emphasizes karmayoga-like sacred action: performing Pitṛ-propitiation (tarpaṇa/śrāddha) at a consecrated tīrtha, where devotion and right ritual become a means of purification.
By calling Rudra the Paramātman, the text supports the Purāṇic non-sectarian vision central to the Kūrma tradition—Śiva is treated as the supreme principle, consistent with the broader Shiva–Vishnu unity found across the Purāṇas.