Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 50
Avimukta-Māhātmya — Vyāsa in Vārāṇasī and Śiva’s Secret Teaching of Liberation
यजेत जुहुयान्नित्यं ददात्यर्चयते ऽमरान् / वायुभक्षश्च सततं वाराणस्यां स्तितो नरः
yajeta juhuyānnityaṃ dadātyarcayate 'marān / vāyubhakṣaśca satataṃ vārāṇasyāṃ stito naraḥ
A man who dwells in Vārāṇasī should constantly worship and sacrifice—daily offering oblations, giving gifts, and honoring the immortals, the gods—and he should live in steady restraint, as though sustained on air.
Sūta (traditional narrator) conveying tīrtha-māhātmya instruction within the Kurma Purana’s discourse
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
Indirectly: it emphasizes purification through yajña, dāna, and tapas—disciplines that steady the mind and make it fit to recognize the Self beyond ritual action.
Austerity and restraint (tapas/saṃyama) are stressed through the idea of being ‘vāyubhakṣa’ (living with extreme fasting/breath-sustained discipline), alongside daily sacred action (nitya-karma) that supports inner steadiness.
By focusing on Kāśī and deva-worship without sectarian exclusion, it reflects the Purāṇic synthesis where disciplined practice and tīrtha-centered worship can be oriented toward the one Supreme reality revered through Shaiva and Vaishnava forms.