Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 12
Rudra’s Cosmic Dance and the Recognition of Rudra–Nārāyaṇa Unity (Īśvara-gītā Continuation)
महादेवं महायोगं देवानामपि दैवतम् / पशूनां पतिमीशानं ज्योतिषां ज्योतिरव्ययम्
mahādevaṃ mahāyogaṃ devānāmapi daivatam / paśūnāṃ patimīśānaṃ jyotiṣāṃ jyotiravyayam
我顶礼摩诃提婆（Mahādeva）——大瑜伽行者，亦为诸天之天；顶礼伊沙那（Īśāna），一切众生之主，帕舒帕提（Paśupati）万类之牧；并顶礼不坏之光——诸光之光、诸曜之明。
Narratorial praise within the Purāṇic discourse (invocatory/commendatory verse addressed to Śiva as Īśvara)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
By calling Īśāna the “imperishable Light, the light of all lights,” the verse points to the changeless spiritual reality that illumines all experience—an Ātman/Brahman-like principle expressed as Śiva.
The epithet “mahāyoga” frames Śiva as the archetype of Yoga; the implied practice is Īśvara-bhakti and īśvara-dhyāna—steady contemplation of the Lord as the inner Light, a core orientation that later supports Pāśupata-style discipline (restraint, devotion, and absorption).
In the Kurma Purana’s synthetic theology, Śiva is praised as the supreme Īśvara and inner Light without denying Viṣṇu’s supremacy elsewhere—supporting a non-sectarian, non-dual thrust where the one Supreme is honored through complementary names and forms.