Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 99
Cosmic Manifestation, Mahāmāyā’s Mandate, Varṇāśrama-Dharma, and the Unity of the Trimūrti
तल्लिङ्गधारी सततं तद्भक्तजनवत्सलः / ध्यायेदथार्चयेदेतान् ब्रह्मविद्यापरायणः
talliṅgadhārī satataṃ tadbhaktajanavatsalaḥ / dhyāyedathārcayedetān brahmavidyāparāyaṇaḥ
அந்தப் புனித லிங்கச் சின்னத்தை எப்போதும் தரித்து, பக்தர்களிடம் அன்பு கொண்டவனாய், பிரம்மவித்யையில் நிலைத்தவனாய்—முதலில் இவற்றை (தெய்வத் தோற்றங்களை) தியானித்து, பின்னர் அர்ச்சனை செய்ய வேண்டும்।
Lord Kūrma (Viṣṇu) instructing the sages/seekers (as preserved in the Kaurma teaching stream)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
By praising the practitioner who is “brahma-vidyā-parāyaṇa,” the verse frames worship as grounded in realization-oriented knowledge of Brahman—suggesting that true devotion culminates in insight into the Supreme Self.
It explicitly gives the sequence dhyāna (meditative contemplation) followed by arcana (ritual worship), aligning with Purāṇic/Pāśupata discipline where inner absorption is supported by outer devotion and sacred observance (liṅga-dhāraṇa).
Though voiced within a Vaiṣṇava Purāṇa setting, it endorses Śaiva liṅga-symbolism and devotion to Śiva’s devotees while grounding the goal in Brahman-knowledge—typical of the Kūrma Purāṇa’s non-sectarian, unity-oriented synthesis.