Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 42
Rudra’s Cosmic Dance and the Recognition of Rudra–Nārāyaṇa Unity (Īśvara-gītā Continuation)
ततः स भगवान् देवः कपर्दी वृषवाहनः / संहृत्य परमं रूपं प्रकृतिस्थो ऽभवद् भवः
tataḥ sa bhagavān devaḥ kapardī vṛṣavāhanaḥ / saṃhṛtya paramaṃ rūpaṃ prakṛtistho 'bhavad bhavaḥ
于是那位吉祥的主神——结发者、乘牛者——收摄其至上（超越）之形，安住于自性（Prakṛti）之中；因此婆婆（Bhava，湿婆）住于其本然、内在的状态。
Purāṇic narrator (Vyāsa/Śaunaka-style narration) describing Rudra’s state after withdrawing the supreme form
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It distinguishes the Lord’s “supreme form” (para-rūpa—transcendent sovereignty beyond manifestation) from His immanent mode within Prakṛti, implying a single Supreme who can appear as transcendent Purusha and also as the indwelling ruler of nature without losing divinity.
The verse supports a yogic contemplation central to Purāṇic Yoga: meditate on Īśvara as both nirguṇa/para (withdrawn beyond forms) and saguṇa/immanent (present in Prakṛti), a key framework used by Pāśupata-leaning devotion and inner absorption (saṃhāra) teachings in the Kūrma tradition.
By presenting Bhava/Śiva as the supreme Lord who can manifest and withdraw forms while remaining the inner controller of Prakṛti, the Kūrma Purāṇa advances a synthetic theism where sectarian names differ but the same Īśvara-function (creation–maintenance–reabsorption) is affirmed—harmonizing Shaiva and Vaiṣṇava viewpoints.