Narmadā–Tīrtha-Māhātmya: Sequence of Sacred Fords and Their Fruits
ततो गच्छेत राजेन्द्र यमतीर्थ मनुत्तमम् / कृष्णपक्षे चतुर्दश्यां माघमासे युधिष्ठिर / स्नानं कृत्वा नक्तभीजी न पश्येद् योनिसङ्कटम्
tato gaccheta rājendra yamatīrtha manuttamam / kṛṣṇapakṣe caturdaśyāṃ māghamāse yudhiṣṭhira / snānaṃ kṛtvā naktabhījī na paśyed yonisaṅkaṭam
そののち、王の中の最勝者よ、至上のヤマ・ティールタへ赴くべきである。ユディシュティラよ、マーガ月の黒分(クリシュナ・パクシャ)の十四日(チャトゥルダシー)に、そこで沐浴し、ナクタボージーの誓戒(夜のみ食す)を守れば、再び胎に入る苦しみを見ずにすむ。
Narrator-sage addressing King (rājendra); verse also vocatively addresses Yudhiṣṭhira within the discourse
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
Indirectly: it frames liberation as freedom from yonisaṅkaṭa (the compulsion of rebirth), implying the highest aim is release into one’s true nature beyond embodied becoming, attained through purificatory discipline and sacred rites.
A vrata-based discipline is taught: Māgha-snāna at a tīrtha combined with naktabhojī (regulated diet/fasting). In Purāṇic yoga-dharma, such niyama-like restraints purify karma and steady the mind for higher sādhana.
This specific verse is tīrtha-vrata oriented and does not explicitly mention Śiva–Viṣṇu unity; yet it aligns with the Kurma Purāṇa’s synthesis by presenting liberation as accessible through dharma (vrata, tīrtha, snāna) that supports the broader yogic and theistic path taught elsewhere.