Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 1
Avimukta-Māhātmya — Vyāsa in Vārāṇasī and Śiva’s Secret Teaching of Liberation
इति श्रीकूर्मपुराणे षट्साहस्त्र्यां संहितायां पूर्वविभागे अष्टाविंशो ऽध्यायः ऋषय ऊचुः प्राप्य वाराणसीं दिव्यां कृष्णद्वैपायनो मुनिः / किमकार्षोन्महाबुद्धिः श्रोतुं कौतूहलं हि नः
iti śrīkūrmapurāṇe ṣaṭsāhastryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ pūrvavibhāge aṣṭāviṃśo 'dhyāyaḥ ṛṣaya ūcuḥ prāpya vārāṇasīṃ divyāṃ kṛṣṇadvaipāyano muniḥ / kimakārṣonmahābuddhiḥ śrotuṃ kautūhalaṃ hi naḥ
इस प्रकार श्रीकूर्मपुराण की षट्साहस्त्री संहिता के पूर्वविभाग में अष्टाविंश अध्याय। ऋषि बोले—दिव्य वाराणसी को प्राप्त होकर महाबुद्धि मुनि कृष्णद्वैपायन ने क्या किया? हमें सुनने की बड़ी उत्कंठा है।
The sages (Ṛṣayaḥ)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
This verse does not directly teach Ātman-doctrine; it functions as a narrative gateway, situating the teaching tradition in a sacred setting (Vārāṇasī) and establishing authoritative transmission through Vyāsa.
No specific yoga technique is described in this opening query; it introduces a tīrtha-based context that, in the Kurma Purāṇa, often precedes dharma and yoga teachings (including later discussions connected to Pāśupata-oriented discipline and devotion).
The verse itself is neutral on Shiva–Vishnu theology; it frames the discourse through Vyāsa and the sacred geography of Kāśī, a locus that later supports the Purāṇa’s broader Shaiva–Vaiṣṇava synthesis.