Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 17
Avimukta-Māhātmya — Vyāsa in Vārāṇasī and Śiva’s Secret Teaching of Liberation
देव्युवाच देवदेव महादेव भक्तानामार्तिनाशन / कथं त्वां पुरुषो देवमचिरादेव पश्यति
devyuvāca devadeva mahādeva bhaktānāmārtināśana / kathaṃ tvāṃ puruṣo devamacirādeva paśyati
天女说道：“噢，诸神之神，噢，大自在天摩诃提婆——能灭除信众苦厄者——世人如何能在短时之内得见您，这位神圣的主宰？”
Devī (Pārvatī/Umā)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
By asking how one can “see” Mahādeva quickly, the verse implies that true realization is not merely external sight but direct spiritual apprehension (darśana) of the Lord who is approached through inner purification and grace—pointing toward the indwelling reality that devotees seek as the highest Self.
This verse is an opening inquiry that sets up the Pāśupata-oriented path: swift darśana is traditionally linked to disciplined sādhana—devotion (bhakti), restraint, mantra/japa, meditation (dhyāna), and surrender—culminating in Śiva’s anugraha (bestowing of grace).
While Śiva is directly addressed, the Kurma Purāṇa’s broader Śaiva–Vaiṣṇava synthesis frames such teachings as compatible with devotion to the one Supreme Lord appearing as multiple deities—so the pursuit of Śiva-darśana aligns with the Purāṇa’s non-sectarian unity of divinity.