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
Ceux de castes diverses et ceux tombés dans un état déchu—tels les Caṇḍāla et autres tenus pour répugnants—dont les corps semblent saturés de fautes et de lourdes transgressions : pour eux, les sages savent qu’Avimukta (Kāśī) est le remède suprême, la médecine la plus haute.
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.