Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 35
Vārāṇasī (Avimukta) Māhātmya and the Catalogue of Guhya-Tīrthas
श्राद्धे वा दैविके कार्ये रात्रावहनि वा द्विजाः / नदीनां चैव तीरेषु देवतायतनेषु च
śrāddhe vā daivike kārye rātrāvahani vā dvijāḥ / nadīnāṃ caiva tīreṣu devatāyataneṣu ca
O twice-born ones, whether in śrāddha rites for the ancestors or in offerings meant for the gods, whether by night or by day—these acts should be performed on the banks of rivers and also within the temples and sanctuaries of the deities.
Vyasa (narrative instruction on dharma and ritual propriety)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
This verse is primarily ritual and tīrtha-oriented; it implies that sacred places (riverbanks and temples) are conducive environments for dharmic acts that purify the mind—an indirect support for inner clarity required for realizing the Self.
No explicit yogic technique is taught here; the emphasis is on disciplined observance (niyama) through correct time-and-place for rites, which functions as a preparatory purification (citta-śuddhi) aligned with the Kurma Purana’s broader soteriological aims.
The verse does not mention Śiva or Viṣṇu directly; it reflects the Purana’s integrative dharma framework where deity-worship in temples and sanctified natural sites supports a unified devotional and purificatory path that, elsewhere in the text, culminates in non-sectarian realization.