Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 44
Kali-yuga Doṣas, the Supremacy of Rudra as Refuge, and the Closure of the Manvantara Teaching
नमो ऽस्तु वामदेवाय महादेवाय वेधसे / शंभवे स्थाणवे नित्यं शिवाय परमेष्ठिने / नमः शोमाय रुद्राय महाग्रासाय हेतवे
namo 'stu vāmadevāya mahādevāya vedhase / śaṃbhave sthāṇave nityaṃ śivāya parameṣṭhine / namaḥ śomāya rudrāya mahāgrāsāya hetave
顶礼伐摩提婆（Vāmadeva），顶礼大天（Mahādeva），顶礼维陀诃（Vedhas）——安立万有之主。恒常顶礼商婆（Śambhu）、不动者（Sthāṇu）、吉祥天（Śiva）——至上主宰（Parameṣṭhin）。顶礼苏摩（Śoma）、鲁陀罗（Rudra）、大吞噬者（Mahāgrāsa），以及赫图（Hetu）——本初之因。
A devotee/narratorial voice within the Purva-bhaga’s Śaiva stuti context (hymnic praise addressed to Lord Śiva/Rudra).
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
By praising Śiva as Parameṣṭhin (Supreme Ruler) and Hetu (the primal Cause), the verse points to a single highest principle behind creation and dissolution—an Atman/Brahman-like ground expressed here through Rudra’s names.
The verse functions as mantra-like nāma-smaraṇa (contemplative repetition of divine epithets), a core devotional discipline aligned with Pāśupata-oriented practice: steadiness (Sthāṇu), inner auspiciousness (Śiva), and contemplation of time as Mahāgrāsa to cultivate detachment.
While explicitly a Śaiva salutation, it reflects the Kurma Purana’s broader theistic synthesis by presenting the Supreme as the one Cause (Hetu) known through divine names—supporting the Purana’s non-sectarian tendency to see ultimate lordship as one, approached via Śiva/Rudra here.