Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 8
Vārāṇasī (Avimukta) Māhātmya and the Catalogue of Guhya-Tīrthas
पर्वताख्यं महागुह्यं मणिकर्णमनुत्तमम् / घटोत्कचं तीर्थवरं श्रीतीर्थं च पितामहम्
parvatākhyaṃ mahāguhyaṃ maṇikarṇamanuttamam / ghaṭotkacaṃ tīrthavaraṃ śrītīrthaṃ ca pitāmaham
पर्वताख्य (तीर्थ), महागुह्य नावाचे अतिगुह्य (तीर्थ), अनुपम मणिकर्ण; तीर्थांतील श्रेष्ठ घटोत्कच; तसेच श्री-तीर्थ व पितामह-तीर्थही आहेत।
Narrator/teacher voice within the Kurma Purana’s tirtha-mahatmya discourse (contextually aligned with Lord Kurma’s instruction to sages/royal listener in Purva-bhaga).
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
This verse does not directly define Ātman; it frames purification through tīrtha-sevana (pilgrimage and sacred observance), which the Kurma Purana treats as a supportive means for inner clarity that later enables knowledge of the Self.
No explicit yogic technique is stated; the implied discipline is tīrtha-yātrā and tīrtha-snāna as preparatory sādhana—purifying conduct that complements the Kurma Purana’s broader yogic and dharma teachings (including later Pāśupata-oriented themes).
By praising tīrthas without sectarian exclusivity, the verse supports the Purana’s synthetic sacred landscape—where devotion and merit flow through shared holy places, consistent with the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva-Vaishnava harmony.