Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 13
Oṅkāra-Liṅga and the Secret Pañcāyatana Liṅgas of Kāśī: Kṛttivāseśvara-Māhātmya
एतानि गुह्यलिङ्गानि वाराणस्यां द्विजोत्तमाः / न कश्चिदिह जानाति विना शंभोरनुग्रहात्
etāni guhyaliṅgāni vārāṇasyāṃ dvijottamāḥ / na kaścidiha jānāti vinā śaṃbhoranugrahāt
Ô meilleurs des deux-fois-nés, tels sont les liṅgas secrets de Vārāṇasī ; nul ici ne les connaît vraiment sans la grâce de Śambhu (Śiva).
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing sages (Dvijottamas)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It implies that sacred reality is not grasped by mere external sight or learning; true recognition depends on divine anugraha (grace), a key puranic teaching that inner realization (of Śiva-tattva/Īśvara) dawns when the Lord bestows favor.
The verse foregrounds anugraha as the decisive factor—suggesting that pilgrimage, mantra, and contemplation become fruitful when aligned with devotion and inner purity; this matches the Kurma Purana’s broader emphasis on disciplined dharma and yogic inwardness supported by Śiva’s grace.
Vishnu (as Lord Kūrma) teaches that knowledge of Kāśī’s Śaiva mysteries depends on Śiva’s grace, expressing the Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis where devotion to one leads to reverence for the other and to a unified vision of Īśvara.