Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 51
Avimukta-Māhātmya — Vyāsa in Vārāṇasī and Śiva’s Secret Teaching of Liberation
यदि पापो यदि शठो यदि वाधार्मिको नरः / वाराणसीं समासाद्य पुनाति सकलं नरः
yadi pāpo yadi śaṭho yadi vādhārmiko naraḥ / vārāṇasīṃ samāsādya punāti sakalaṃ naraḥ
यदि मनुष्य पापी हो, यदि कपटी हो, या यदि अधार्मिक हो—वाराणसी में पहुँचकर वह अपने सम्पूर्ण अस्तित्व को पवित्र कर लेता है।
Narrator (Purāṇic discourse voice, traditionally Sūta reporting the teaching of the sages)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
Indirectly: it emphasizes inner purification (śuddhi) as the prerequisite for realizing the Self; the tīrtha’s sanctity is presented as aiding the removal of pāpa and adharma that veil ātma-jñāna.
This verse highlights tīrtha-sevā—approaching a sacred kṣetra like Vārāṇasī for purification—often paired in the Purāṇic framework with snāna, japa, vrata, and śiva/viṣṇu-bhakti as preparatory disciplines supportive of yogic steadiness.
By praising Kāśī (classically associated with Śiva) within the Kurma Purana’s Vaiṣṇava voice, it reflects the text’s synthetic stance: sacred power and liberation-function are shared across Śaiva–Vaiṣṇava horizons rather than treated as mutually exclusive.