Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 43
Commencement of the Upari-bhāga: The Sages Request Brahma-vidyā; Vyāsa Recalls the Badarikā Inquiry and Śiva–Viṣṇu Theophany
संदर्शनान्महेशस्य शङ्करस्याथ शूलिनः / कृतार्थं स्वयमात्मानं ज्ञातुमर्हथ तत्त्वतः
saṃdarśanānmaheśasya śaṅkarasyātha śūlinaḥ / kṛtārthaṃ svayamātmānaṃ jñātumarhatha tattvataḥ
Sa mismong pagtanaw kay Mahēśa—Śaṅkara, ang may hawak ng Trisula—kayo’y nagiging ganap at natupad ang layon. Kaya nararapat ninyong makilala ang sarili ninyong Ātman sa katotohanan, ayon sa tunay nitong kalikasan.
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing the sages (including Indradyumna’s context in the Ishvara Gita setting)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It points from outer sacred vision (darśana of Mahēśa) to inner realization: true fulfillment is completed by knowing one’s own Ātman “tattvataḥ,” i.e., as it really is beyond mere appearance.
The verse emphasizes darśana and tattva-jñāna as a Pāśupata-oriented progression: reverent encounter with Śiva culminates in disciplined self-inquiry and realization of the Self, aligning devotion with yogic knowledge.
With Lord Kūrma teaching that Śiva’s darśana grants fulfillment and leads to Self-knowledge, the text frames Śiva-reverence as fully authoritative within a Vaiṣṇava narration—an explicit Shaiva–Vaiṣṇava synthesis typical of the Kurma Purana’s Ishvara Gita.