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
L’homme qui demeure à Vārāṇasī doit sans cesse adorer et accomplir le sacrifice : offrir chaque jour les oblations, faire des dons et honorer les Immortels (les dieux) ; et vivre dans une maîtrise de soi constante, comme s’il se nourrissait d’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.