Adhyāya 25 — Liṅga-māhātmya (The Chapter on the Liṅga): Hari’s Śiva-Worship and the Fiery Pillar Theophany
नमः कुरुष्व सततं ध्यायस्व मनसा हरम् / संसारसागरादस्मादचिरादुत्तरिष्यसि
namaḥ kuruṣva satataṃ dhyāyasva manasā haram / saṃsārasāgarādasmādacirāduttariṣyasi
ఎల్లప్పుడూ నమస్కారం చేయి; మనసుతో హరుడు (శివుడు)ను ధ్యానించు. ఈ సంసారసాగరాన్ని నీవు త్వరలోనే దాటుతావు.
A spiritual instructor within the Kurma Purana’s Purva-bhaga narrative (teaching devotion/upanā to Hara as liberating practice)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
It implies liberation is attained by inward turning of mind through dhyāna and reverent surrender; crossing saṃsāra points to realizing the Self beyond cyclical becoming, accessed through focused contemplation on Īśvara (here, Hara).
Two core disciplines are prescribed: continuous namas (humble devotional orientation) and manasā-dhyāna (mental meditation) on Hara—an approach aligned with Pāśupata-leaning Śaiva practice where devotion and contemplation function as direct means to transcend saṃsāra.
By presenting meditation on Hara as salvific within the Kurma Purana, it supports the Purana’s synthetic theology where sectarian boundaries soften—Śiva is upheld as a supreme liberating focus even within a Vaiṣṇava Purāṇic frame.