Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 7
Vārāṇasī (Avimukta) Māhātmya and the Catalogue of Guhya-Tīrthas
अग्नितीर्थं द्विजश्रेष्ठाः कलशेश्वरमुत्तमम् / नागतीर्थं सोमतीर्थं सूर्यतीर्थं तथैव च
agnitīrthaṃ dvijaśreṣṭhāḥ kalaśeśvaramuttamam / nāgatīrthaṃ somatīrthaṃ sūryatīrthaṃ tathaiva ca
Wahai yang terbaik antara kaum dwija, ada Agni-tīrtha dan Kalaśeśvara yang amat unggul; demikian juga Nāga-tīrtha, Soma-tīrtha, dan Sūrya-tīrtha.
Narrator-sage (Purāṇic narrator) enumerating tīrthas to the assembled dvijas; presented within the Kurma Purana’s pilgrimage-geography discourse
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
This verse is primarily a tīrtha-enumeration and does not directly define Ātman; indirectly, it frames cosmic powers (Agni, Soma, Sūrya) and Īśvara (Kalaśeśvara) as sacred loci, implying a dharmic worldview where the divine is approached through sanctified places and forms.
No explicit yogic technique is taught in this line; its practice-implication is tīrtha-yātrā and tīrtha-sevā—ritual purity, vows, and contemplative devotion at sanctified sites, which the Kurma Purana often treats as supportive disciplines alongside Pāśupata-oriented devotion and inner restraint.
By naming Kalaśeśvara (a Śaiva Īśvara-title) within a Purāṇic framework that also treats cosmic deities as sacred, the verse fits the Kurma Purana’s integrative stance: devotion to Īśvara (often Śiva-titled) operates harmoniously within a broader Purāṇic dharma traditionally preserved under Vaiṣṇava narration.