Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 40
Tīrtha-Māhātmya: Mahālaya, Kedāra, Rivers and Fords, and Devadāru Forest
Akṣaya-Karma Doctrine
तत्र स्नात्वा दिवं यान्ति सशरीरा द्विजातयः / दत्तं चापि सदा श्राद्धमक्षयं समुदाहृतम् / ऋणैस्त्रिभिर्नरः स्नात्वा मुच्यते क्षीणकल्मषः
tatra snātvā divaṃ yānti saśarīrā dvijātayaḥ / dattaṃ cāpi sadā śrāddhamakṣayaṃ samudāhṛtam / ṛṇaistribhirnaraḥ snātvā mucyate kṣīṇakalmaṣaḥ
तेथे स्नान केल्याने द्विजातयः देहासहित स्वर्गास जातात. तेथे केलेले श्राद्ध सदैव अक्षय फल देणारे म्हटले आहे. तेथे स्नान करून मनुष्य पापक्षय पावून देव-ऋषि-पितृ या त्रिविध ऋणांतून मुक्त होतो।
Sūta (narrating the Kurma Purana’s tīrtha-māhātmya discourse to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
Indirectly: it presents purification (kṣīṇa-kalmaṣa) and freedom from obligations (ṛṇa) as prerequisites for higher realization; in the Kurma Purana’s broader theology, such dharmic purification supports steady yoga leading toward knowledge of the Self.
The verse emphasizes karmayoga-like purification through tīrtha-snāna (ritual bathing) and śrāddha as dharmic disciplines; in Kurma Purana’s framework, these observances cleanse impediments and complement inner yoga (dhyāna) by reducing pāpa and stabilizing sattva.
It does not name Śiva or Viṣṇu explicitly; however, it reflects the Purana’s synthesis where sacred observances and liberation-oriented discipline are upheld across sectarian lines—tīrtha, śrāddha, and purification are shared dharmic means within a Śaiva–Vaiṣṇava harmonious vision.