Oṅkāra-Liṅga and the Secret Pañcāyatana Liṅgas of Kāśī: Kṛttivāseśvara-Māhātmya
युगे युगे ह्यत्र दान्ता ब्राह्मणा वेदपारागाः / उपासते महादेवं जपन्ति शतरुद्रियम्
yuge yuge hyatra dāntā brāhmaṇā vedapārāgāḥ / upāsate mahādevaṃ japanti śatarudriyam
యుగయుగములలో ఇక్కడ దమముగల, వేదపారంగత బ్రాహ్మణులు మహాదేవుని ఉపాసించి శతరుద్రీయాన్ని జపిస్తారు।
Narratorial voice within the Kurma Purana’s Purva-bhaga (contextual praise of Shaiva worship aligned with Vedic practice)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
By presenting Mahādeva as the perennial object of Vedic realization and worship across yugas, the verse implies a timeless Supreme principle approached through Vedic mastery, discipline, and mantra-japa—hallmarks of realizing the highest reality.
It highlights dānta (sense-restraint) as a yogic prerequisite and japa (mantric recitation) of the Śatarudrīya as a focused devotional-ritual practice—consistent with Pāśupata-leaning Shaiva sādhanā framed within Vedic orthopraxy.
Even within a Purāṇa associated with Lord Kūrma (Viṣṇu), the verse centers Vedic praise of Mahādeva, reflecting the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis where devotion to Śiva is affirmed as Veda-aligned and compatible with broader Purāṇic theism.