Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 24
Prayāga-māhātmya — The Greatness of Prayāga and the Discipline of Pilgrimage
प्रयागे तु विशेषेण स्वयं वसति वासवः / मण्डलं रक्षति हरिः सर्वदेवैश्च सम्मितम्
prayāge tu viśeṣeṇa svayaṃ vasati vāsavaḥ / maṇḍalaṃ rakṣati hariḥ sarvadevaiśca sammitam
ಪ್ರಯಾಗದಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಶೇಷವಾಗಿ ವಾಸವನು (ಇಂದ್ರನು) ಸ್ವಯಂ ವಾಸಿಸುತ್ತಾನೆ; ಮತ್ತು ಸರ್ವ ದೇವರಿಂದ ಸಮ್ಮತವಾದ ಆ ಪವಿತ್ರ ಮಂಡಲವನ್ನು ಹರಿ (ವಿಷ್ಣು) ರಕ್ಷಿಸುತ್ತಾನೆ।
Sūta (narrating the Kurma Purana’s tirtha-mahātmya section to the sages)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It presents the sacred geography of Prayāga as divinely protected—suggesting that proximity to a consecrated tīrtha supported by the devas aids purification and recollection of the higher Self, even though the verse itself focuses on divine guardianship rather than explicit ātma-doctrine.
No specific technique is named; the implied practice is tīrtha-sevā—residing, bathing, worshipping, and undertaking vows at Prayāga as a dharmic discipline that supports inner purification, a common preparatory ground for Yoga and devotion in the Kurma Purana’s broader teaching.
By portraying Hari as the protector of a universally god-sanctioned sacred domain, it aligns with the Purana’s integrative stance where major deities function harmoniously in sustaining dharma, rather than competing as separate absolutes.