Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 2
Devī-tattva, Śakti–Śaktimān doctrine, Kāla–Māyā cosmology, and Māheśvara Yoga instruction
तस्यैवं तपतो वक्त्राद् रुद्रः कालाग्निसन्निभः / त्रिशूलपाणिरीशानः प्रदुरासीत् त्रिलोचनः
tasyaivaṃ tapato vaktrād rudraḥ kālāgnisannibhaḥ / triśūlapāṇirīśānaḥ pradurāsīt trilocanaḥ
当他如此继续苦行时，鲁陀罗——宛如劫时之火（时间之火）——从其面门中显现：三目之主伊沙那，手执三叉戟。
Suta (narrator) describing the event within the Kurma Purana’s Ishvara Gita milieu
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: raudra
FAQs
By portraying Rudra as self-manifesting in response to tapas, the verse implies that the Supreme is not merely approached externally but is revealed when inner discipline ripens—Īśvara becomes directly evident (darśana) to the purified seeker.
The verse emphasizes tapas (austerity/heat of discipline) as a core limb of Pashupata-oriented sadhana: sustained restraint, concentration, and self-purification culminating in īśvara-prādurbhāva (the Lord’s direct manifestation).
Placed in the Kurma Purana’s integrative Ishvara Gita setting, Rudra’s epiphany functions as a theological bridge: the same supreme reality is honored through Śaiva iconography (Rudra, Īśāna) within a Purana that also teaches Vaiṣṇava frames—supporting a non-sectarian, synthesizing vision.