Adhyāya 25 — Liṅga-māhātmya (The Chapter on the Liṅga): Hari’s Śiva-Worship and the Fiery Pillar Theophany
पिनाकपाणिर्भगवान् कृत्तिवासास्त्रिशूलभृत् / व्यालयज्ञोपवीतश्च मेघदुन्दुभिनिः स्वनः
pinākapāṇirbhagavān kṛttivāsāstriśūlabhṛt / vyālayajñopavītaśca meghadundubhiniḥ svanaḥ
భగవాన్ పినాకాన్ని చేతబట్టి, కృత్తివాసుడై త్రిశూలధారిగా ఉన్నాడు; సర్పయజ్ఞోపవీతధారిగా, ఆయన నాదం మేఘదుందుభిలా గర్జిస్తుంది।
Narrator (Purāṇic discourse describing Śiva’s form; traditionally framed within Sūta/Vyāsa-style narration)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: vira
By presenting Śiva as “Bhagavān” with cosmic resonance (voice like thunder), the verse points to a Lord whose presence is not merely anthropomorphic but pervades nature—suggesting a supreme, all-encompassing reality that spiritual practice seeks to realize.
No specific technique is prescribed in this verse, but the iconography supports contemplation (dhyāna) on Śiva’s form—trident, serpent-upavīta, and thunderous nāda—used in Śaiva traditions as a meditative support for concentration and inner steadiness.
While the verse directly praises Śiva, the Kurma Purana’s broader synthesis treats such stuti as compatible with Vaiṣṇava devotion—affirming one supreme divinity praised through multiple forms, a key Shaiva–Vaishnava unity theme in the text.