Commencement of the Upari-bhāga: The Sages Request Brahma-vidyā; Vyāsa Recalls the Badarikā Inquiry and Śiva–Viṣṇu Theophany
तं ते देवादिदेवेशं शङ्करं ब्रह्मवादिनः / विभ्राजमानं विमले तस्मिन् ददृशुरासने
taṃ te devādideveśaṃ śaṅkaraṃ brahmavādinaḥ / vibhrājamānaṃ vimale tasmin dadṛśurāsane
ครั้งนั้นเหล่าผู้แสดงพรหมันได้เห็นพระศังกร ผู้เป็นเจ้าเหนือเทพทั้งปวง ประทับบนอาสนะอันบริสุทธิ์นั้น ทรงรุ่งโรจน์ด้วยพระรัศมี
Suta (narrator), describing the sages’ vision within the Ishvara Gita setting
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
By calling Śaṅkara “devādideveśa” and placing him before “brahmavādinaḥ,” the verse frames the Supreme as the luminous, pure Reality (Brahman) that can be directly beheld by realized sages—suggesting the Atman/Brahman is encountered as stainless radiance rather than as a merely conceptual doctrine.
The verse emphasizes a yogic culmination: darśana (direct vision) of the Lord in a state of inner purity (vimala). In the Kurma Purana’s Pāśupata-oriented mood, such vision is associated with purification, steadiness of mind, and contemplation that reveals the deity as radiant consciousness.
Within the Ishvara Gita’s synthetic theology, Śiva is presented in supreme terms (“God of gods”), aligning with the Purana’s non-sectarian stance where the highest Lord is one Reality—spoken of as Śiva or Viṣṇu—recognized by Brahman-knowers through purity and direct realization.