Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 38
Avimukta-Māhātmya — Vyāsa in Vārāṇasī and Śiva’s Secret Teaching of Liberation
अविमुक्तं न सेवन्ति मूढा ये तमसावृताः / विण्मूत्ररेतसां मध्ये ते वसन्ति पुनः पुनः
avimuktaṃ na sevanti mūḍhā ye tamasāvṛtāḥ / viṇmūtraretasāṃ madhye te vasanti punaḥ punaḥ
Die Toren, von Finsternis verhüllt, suchen Avimukta nicht auf. Immer wieder wohnen sie im Unrat—zwischen Kot, Urin und Samen—und kehren erneut ins verkörperte Dasein zurück.
Sūta (narrator) conveying the Purāṇic teaching on Avimukta-kṣetra’s salvific power
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
By contrasting Avimukta (a locus of awakening) with tamas-bound delusion, the verse implies that ignorance obscures the Self; when ignorance persists, one repeatedly identifies with the impure body and remains in saṃsāra rather than realizing the Atman.
The verse points to viveka (discernment) and vairāgya (dispassion) as prerequisites: turning toward sacred discipline (tīrtha-sevā, japa, śiva/viṣṇu-bhakti, and inner purification) instead of remaining tamas-dominated. In Kurma Purana’s yogic ethos, such purification supports steady meditation and liberation-oriented practice.
Avimukta is traditionally associated with Śiva’s liberating grace, yet the Kurma Purana frames liberation through a shared dharmic-yogic vision where Hari and Hara are harmonized; seeking the liberating kṣetra signifies turning toward that unified salvific principle rather than bodily delusion.