Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 18
Genealogies from Dakṣa’s Daughters: Ṛṣi Lines, Agni-Forms, Pitṛ Classes, and the Transition to Manu’s Progeny
सर्वे तपस्विनः प्रोक्ताः सर्वे यज्ञेषु भागिनः / रुद्रात्मकाः स्मृताः सर्वे त्रिपुण्ड्राङ्कितमस्तकाः
sarve tapasvinaḥ proktāḥ sarve yajñeṣu bhāginaḥ / rudrātmakāḥ smṛtāḥ sarve tripuṇḍrāṅkitamastakāḥ
Silang lahat ay tinatawag na mga mapag-aske; silang lahat ay may bahagi sa mga yajña. Silang lahat ay inaalala na may kalikasan ni Rudra, at ang kanilang mga noo ay may tatlong guhit ng banal na abo (tripuṇḍra).
Narrator/Sage instructing on Shaiva observances (contextual teaching within the Kurma Purana’s Purva-bhaga)
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: raudra
FAQs
By calling the devotees “rudrātmakāḥ” (of Rudra’s nature), the verse points to identity-through-realization: the practitioner becomes aligned with (and reflects) the divine principle they worship, suggesting a transformative participation in Rudra-consciousness.
Tapas (austerity/discipline) and the external-saṃskāra of tripuṇḍra function together: inner heat of practice supported by a visible vow-marker, typical of Pāśupata-oriented Shaiva discipline, while remaining integrated with Vedic yajña culture.
Even while praising Rudra-bhakti, it keeps the devotees within yajña (a pan-Vedic framework often upheld by Vaiṣṇava narration in Purāṇas), reflecting the Kurma Purana’s synthesis: Shaiva marks and Rudra-identity harmonized with orthodox sacrificial dharma rather than set against it.