Īśvara-Gītā (continued): Twofold Yoga, Aṣṭāṅga Discipline, Pāśupata Meditation, and the Unity of Nārāyaṇa–Maheśvara
शरण्यं शरणं रुद्रं प्रपन्नो ऽहं विशेषतः / भूतेशं गिरशं स्थाणुं देवदेवं त्रिशूलिनम्
śaraṇyaṃ śaraṇaṃ rudraṃ prapanno 'haṃ viśeṣataḥ / bhūteśaṃ giraśaṃ sthāṇuṃ devadevaṃ triśūlinam
میں نے بالخصوص پناہ لی ہے—پناہ دینے والے رُدر کی؛ بھوتیش، گِریش، ستھانُو، دیودیو اور ترشول دھاری پروردگار کی۔
Lord Kūrma (Viṣṇu) teaching in the Īśvara-gītā context
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
By presenting Rudra as the ultimate “śaraṇya/śaraṇa” (protector and refuge), the verse points to the Supreme as the final ground of security beyond all transient supports—an Īśvara-centered (theistic) framing used in the Īśvara-gītā to orient the seeker toward the highest Reality.
The verse highlights śaraṇāgati (complete surrender) as a core spiritual discipline: fixing the mind on Īśvara through devotional remembrance of divine epithets (nāma-smaraṇa/stuti), which in the Kurma Purana’s Pāśupata-oriented teaching functions as a stabilizing practice leading toward inner steadiness and grace.
Within the Īśvara-gītā setting, Viṣṇu (as Lord Kūrma) extols Rudra as the supreme refuge, reflecting the Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis: the highest Lord is praised through either form, emphasizing unity of Īśvara rather than sectarian separation.