Commencement of the Upari-bhāga: The Sages Request Brahma-vidyā; Vyāsa Recalls the Badarikā Inquiry and Śiva–Viṣṇu Theophany
संस्तुतो भगवानीशस्त्र्यम्बको भक्तवत्सलः / समालिङ्ग्य हृषीकेशं प्राह गम्भीरया गिरा
saṃstuto bhagavānīśastryambako bhaktavatsalaḥ / samāliṅgya hṛṣīkeśaṃ prāha gambhīrayā girā
Nang mapuri nang gayon, ang Mapalad na Panginoon—si Īśa, ang Tryambaka na may tatlong mata, mapagmahal sa mga deboto—ay niyakap si Hṛṣīkeśa at nagsalita sa malalim at umuugong na tinig.
Narrator (describing Tryambaka/Śiva addressing Hṛṣīkeśa/Viṣṇu)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
By portraying Śiva (Īśa/Tryambaka) embracing Viṣṇu (Hṛṣīkeśa), the verse signals the Purāṇic non-sectarian insight that the supreme reality is one, appearing in complementary divine forms—hinting at a single Lord beyond names and attributes.
No technical practice is taught directly in this line; it sets the devotional and contemplative tone for the Ishvara Gita discourse, where bhakti (devotee-centered orientation) becomes the inner disposition supporting later Pāśupata-yoga instructions.
It depicts intimate unity and mutual reverence: Śiva is praised and then embraces Viṣṇu, presenting harmony rather than rivalry—an explicit Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis characteristic of the Kurma Purana’s Ishvara Gita context.