Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 42
Avimukta-Māhātmya — Vyāsa in Vārāṇasī and Śiva’s Secret Teaching of Liberation
नानावर्णा विवर्णाश्च चण्डालाद्या जुगुप्सिताः / किल्बिषैः पूर्णदेहा ये विशिष्टैः पातकैस्तथा / भेषजं परमं तेषामविमुक्तं विदुर्बुधाः
nānāvarṇā vivarṇāśca caṇḍālādyā jugupsitāḥ / kilbiṣaiḥ pūrṇadehā ye viśiṣṭaiḥ pātakaistathā / bheṣajaṃ paramaṃ teṣāmavimuktaṃ vidurbudhāḥ
Mereka yang berasal dari berbagai varna maupun yang jatuh derajatnya—seperti Caṇḍāla dan lainnya yang dipandang hina—yang tubuhnya seakan penuh oleh dosa dan pelanggaran berat yang khas; bagi mereka para bijak mengetahui Avimukta (Kāśī) sebagai obat tertinggi, penawar paling luhur.
Sūta (narrating the Kurma Purana’s tirtha-mahātmya context; the verse presents the received view of the budhāḥ/wise)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
Indirectly: it frames liberation and purification as accessible through Avimukta (Kāśī), implying that even those burdened by heavy pāpa can be oriented toward the highest good—knowledge and release—when supported by a supreme sacred locus associated with Śiva’s liberating grace.
No specific yogic technique is taught in this verse; the emphasis is tīrtha-upāsanā—approaching Avimukta as the ‘parama-bheṣaja’ (supreme remedy). In Kurma Purana’s broader spirituality, such tirtha-sevā is often paired with vrata, japa, śauca, and devotion that prepare one for higher yogic discipline.
By exalting Avimukta (a quintessential Śaiva sacred space) within a Vaiṣṇava-authoritative Purāṇic framework, it reflects the Kurma Purana’s synthetic stance: liberation is affirmed through Śiva’s Kashi-mahātmya without contradicting Vishnu’s overarching puranic voice.