Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 34
Vārāṇasī (Avimukta) Māhātmya and the Catalogue of Guhya-Tīrthas
सूत उवाच यः पठेदविमुक्तस्य माहात्म्यं शृणुयादपि / श्रावयेद् वा द्विजान् शान्तान् सो ऽपियातिपराङ्गतिम्
sūta uvāca yaḥ paṭhedavimuktasya māhātmyaṃ śṛṇuyādapi / śrāvayed vā dvijān śāntān so 'piyātiparāṅgatim
សូត្រាបាននិយាយថា៖ អ្នកណាអានមហាត្ម្យៈនៃ «អវិមុកត» (កាសី) ឬស្តាប់ក៏ដោយ ឬធ្វើឲ្យព្រះទ្វិជៈដ៏ស្ងប់ស្ងាត់ស្តាប់—អ្នកនោះផងដែរ នឹងឈានដល់ស្ថានភាពខ្ពស់បំផុត។
Sūta
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
By promising the “highest state” (parāṅgati) through śravaṇa and pāṭha of sacred mahātmya, the verse implies liberation is accessible through purifying knowledge-devotion that turns awareness toward the Supreme—rather than through mere outward ritual alone.
The verse highlights śravaṇa (hearing), pāṭha (recitation), and śrāvaṇa/adhyāpana (causing others to hear)—disciplines that cultivate sattva and śānti (calmness), aligning with Purāṇic yoga as a path of focused attention, devotional recollection, and inner purification.
By elevating Avimukta (a Śaiva tīrtha) as a means to the supreme goal within the Kurma Purana (a Vaiṣṇava framework with Śaiva synthesis), it reflects the text’s harmony: devotion to Śiva’s sacred realm and Purāṇic teaching leads to the same highest liberation upheld by the broader Vishnu-centered Purāṇic vision.