Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 42
Avimukta-Māhātmya — Vyāsa in Vārāṇasī and Śiva’s Secret Teaching of Liberation
नानावर्णा विवर्णाश्च चण्डालाद्या जुगुप्सिताः / किल्बिषैः पूर्णदेहा ये विशिष्टैः पातकैस्तथा / भेषजं परमं तेषामविमुक्तं विदुर्बुधाः
nānāvarṇā vivarṇāśca caṇḍālādyā jugupsitāḥ / kilbiṣaiḥ pūrṇadehā ye viśiṣṭaiḥ pātakaistathā / bheṣajaṃ paramaṃ teṣāmavimuktaṃ vidurbudhāḥ
Die aus vielen Varṇas und die in entwürdigten Zustand Gefallenen—wie Caṇḍālas und andere, die man mit Abscheu betrachtet—deren Leiber gleichsam von Sünden und besonderen schweren Vergehen erfüllt sind: für sie wissen die Weisen Avimukta (Kāśī) als das höchste Heilmittel, die erhabenste Arznei.
Sūta (narrating the Kurma Purana’s tirtha-mahātmya context; the verse presents the received view of the budhāḥ/wise)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
Indirectly: it frames liberation and purification as accessible through Avimukta (Kāśī), implying that even those burdened by heavy pāpa can be oriented toward the highest good—knowledge and release—when supported by a supreme sacred locus associated with Śiva’s liberating grace.
No specific yogic technique is taught in this verse; the emphasis is tīrtha-upāsanā—approaching Avimukta as the ‘parama-bheṣaja’ (supreme remedy). In Kurma Purana’s broader spirituality, such tirtha-sevā is often paired with vrata, japa, śauca, and devotion that prepare one for higher yogic discipline.
By exalting Avimukta (a quintessential Śaiva sacred space) within a Vaiṣṇava-authoritative Purāṇic framework, it reflects the Kurma Purana’s synthetic stance: liberation is affirmed through Śiva’s Kashi-mahātmya without contradicting Vishnu’s overarching puranic voice.