Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 12
Viṣṇu at Upamanyu’s Āśrama: Pāśupata Tapas, Darśana of Śiva, and Boons from Devī
तत्राश्रमवरे रम्ये सिद्धाश्रमविभूषिते / गङ्गा भगवती नित्यं वहत्येवाघनाशिनी
tatrāśramavare ramye siddhāśramavibhūṣite / gaṅgā bhagavatī nityaṃ vahatyevāghanāśinī
There, in that most excellent and delightful hermitage, adorned by the Siddhas’ sacred retreats, the divine Goddess Gaṅgā flows unceasingly—ever the destroyer of sin.
Narrator (Purāṇic narrator describing the tīrtha/āśrama setting within the Kurma Purana’s discourse)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
Indirectly, it frames purification as a prerequisite for higher realization: the sacred landscape (Gaṅgā and Siddha-āśramas) removes “agha” (impurity), preparing the seeker for knowledge of the Self taught elsewhere in the Kurma Purana.
The verse points to tīrtha-sevā and āśrama-vāsa—living or practicing near Siddhas and holy waters—as supportive disciplines that purify the mind, a foundation for dhyāna, japa, and the Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis emphasized in Kurma Purana teachings.
By venerating Gaṅgā as “Bhagavatī” within a Siddha-āśrama context, it reflects the Purāṇic synthesis where sacred agents of purification are honored across sectarian lines—consistent with the Kurma Purana’s integrative Shaiva-Vaishnava outlook.