Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 74
Avimukta-Māhātmya — Vyāsa in Vārāṇasī and Śiva’s Secret Teaching of Liberation
यानि चेह प्रकुर्वन्ति पातकानि कृतालयाः / नाशयेत् तानि सर्वाणि देवः कालतनुः शिवः
yāni ceha prakurvanti pātakāni kṛtālayāḥ / nāśayet tāni sarvāṇi devaḥ kālatanuḥ śivaḥ
Cualesquiera pecados que aquí cometan quienes han tomado morada, todos ellos los destruye el dios Śiva, cuya propia forma es el Tiempo.
Narrator (Purāṇic discourse, describing the phala—merit/result—connected with Śiva as Kālatanu)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
By calling Śiva “Kālatanu” (Time-embodied), the verse points to the Supreme as the all-pervading principle that governs change and dissolution; as that ultimate reality, He can dissolve the karmic residues (pātaka) that bind the self.
No specific āsana or technique is named; the emphasis is on purification (śuddhi) through taking refuge in Śiva as the Lord of Time—an idea consistent with Pāśupata-oriented discipline where surrender, worship, and inner turning toward Īśvara support the burning of karmic impurities.
Although Śiva is explicitly named, the Kurma Purana’s broader Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis treats such sin-destroying lordship as belonging to Īśvara Himself; the verse supports the non-sectarian view that the Supreme, approached as Śiva (and elsewhere as Hari/Kūrma), is the purifier of karma.