Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 10
Yuga-Dharma: The Four Ages, Decline of Dharma, and the Rise of Social Order
नान्यत् पश्यामि जन्तूनांमुक्त्वा वाराणसीं पुरीम् / सर्वपापप्रशमनं प्रायश्चित्तं कलौ युगे
nānyat paśyāmi jantūnāṃmuktvā vārāṇasīṃ purīm / sarvapāpapraśamanaṃ prāyaścittaṃ kalau yuge
Bagi makhluk hidup di Kali-yuga, aku tidak melihat penebusan lain selain kota Vārāṇasī, yang mampu meredakan segala dosa.
Narrator/Teacher voice within the Kurma Purana’s tirtha-mahatmya context (authoritative puranic speaker addressing the audience/sages)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
Indirectly: it stresses purification (pāpa-praśamana) as a prerequisite for steady knowledge and worship; by presenting Kāśī as the foremost means of cleansing in Kali-yuga, it supports the puranic path where inner realization is aided by sanctifying disciplines and sacred space.
The verse highlights prayāścitta as a yogic-ethical foundation—purification and restraint—rather than a specific technique. In the Kurma Purana’s broader teaching, such purification supports devotion, mantra-japa, and disciplined conduct that culminate in higher yoga and contemplation.
By exalting Vārāṇasī (classically Śiva’s sacred city) as the supreme purifier within a Vaishnava-presented Purana, it reflects the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis: sacred power and liberation are affirmed through shared dharmic authority rather than sectarian opposition.