Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 57
Tīrtha-Māhātmya: Mahālaya, Kedāra, Rivers and Fords, and Devadāru Forest
Akṣaya-Karma Doctrine
यत्रेस्वरो महादेवो विष्णुर्वा पुरुषोत्तमः / तत्र सन्निहिता गङ्गातीर्थान्यायतनानि च
yatresvaro mahādevo viṣṇurvā puruṣottamaḥ / tatra sannihitā gaṅgātīrthānyāyatanāni ca
য’ত ঈশ্বৰ মহাদেৱ ৰূপে বা বিষ্ণু পুৰুষোত্তম ৰূপে সন্নিহিত, ত’তেই গংগা আৰু তেখেতৰ সকলো তীৰ্থ, লগতে পবিত্ৰ আয়তন-ধাম সত্যই উপস্থিত বুলি জনা যায়।
Traditional Purāṇic narrator (as part of the Kurma Purana’s sacred-geography instruction)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
By identifying the same Īśvara as present in both Mahādeva and Puruṣottama, the verse implies a single supreme reality manifesting through different divine forms; sanctity arises from that one presence rather than from location alone.
No specific technique is listed, but the verse supports a key yogic principle used in Kurma Purana’s broader teaching: contemplation of Īśvara’s omnipresence. Pilgrimage becomes an aid to bhakti and dhyāna because the practitioner learns to recognize the Lord’s presence wherever He is realized.
It presents a synthesis: the Lord is equally Mahādeva and Viṣṇu (Puruṣottama). The holiness of Gaṅgā-tīrthas and shrines is grounded in this shared Īśvara-presence, reflecting the Kurma Purana’s non-dual, non-sectarian approach.