Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 43
Prayāga-māhātmya — The Greatness of Prayāga and the Discipline of Pilgrimage
स्वकार्ये पितृकार्ये वा देवताभ्यर्चने ऽपि वा / निष्फलं तस्य तत् तीर्थं यावत् तत्फलमश्नुते
svakārye pitṛkārye vā devatābhyarcane 'pi vā / niṣphalaṃ tasya tat tīrthaṃ yāvat tatphalamaśnute
Que ce soit pour son propre dessein, pour les rites aux ancêtres, ou même pour le culte des divinités—tant que le fruit promis n’est pas réellement obtenu—ce tīrtha demeure, pour cette personne, comme sans effet.
Traditional narration within the Kurma Purana’s tīrtha-dharma teaching (speaker commonly framed as Sūta/Vyāsa in Purāṇic transmission; verse functions as an instructive maxim).
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
Indirectly: it stresses karma-phala (experienced results) rather than metaphysical analysis—implying that spiritual acts must mature into lived transformation, not merely external performance.
No specific āsana/dhyāna is named; the verse emphasizes disciplined intention and fruition—an applied ethic that supports Yoga by insisting that worship, ancestral rites, and tīrtha-sevā must culminate in realized benefit (inner purity and dharmic outcome).
It does not explicitly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu; it aligns with the Purāṇa’s integrative dharma tone by treating devatā-arcana and tīrtha practice as universally valid means whose worth is measured by attained fruit, not sectarian labels.