Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 142
Dakṣa’s Progeny, Nṛsiṃha–Varāha Avatāras, and Andhaka’s Defeat
Hari–Hara–Śakti Synthesis
दृष्ट्वा देवी महादेवं प्रीतिविस्फारितेक्षणा / ननाम शिरसा तस्य पादयोरीश्वरस्य सा
dṛṣṭvā devī mahādevaṃ prītivisphāritekṣaṇā / nanāma śirasā tasya pādayorīśvarasya sā
مہادیو کو دیکھ کر دیوی کی آنکھیں خوشی سے پھیل گئیں؛ پھر اس نے سر جھکا کر اُس اِیشور کے قدموں میں سجدۂ تعظیم کیا۔
Narrator (Purāṇic narration by the Sūta/Vyāsa tradition, describing Devī’s act)
Primary Rasa: shringara
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
By calling Mahādeva “Īśvara” and depicting worship at his feet, the verse points to the Supreme Lord as the worthy refuge; devotion (bhakti) here functions as a direct orientation of the self toward the highest reality.
The verse highlights bhakti-yoga through embodied reverence—darśana (seeing the deity) followed by praṇāma (bowing). Such disciplined humility is a foundational sādhana that supports inner concentration and surrender central to Śaiva practice.
In the Kurma Purana’s integrative theology, honoring Śiva as Īśvara reinforces the text’s broad Śaiva-Vaiṣṇava harmony: the Supreme is approached through devotion, and sectarian boundaries are softened by shared lordship and reverence.