Shloka 9
Vārāṇasī (Avimukta) Māhātmya and the Catalogue of Guhya-Tīrthas
गङ्गातीर्थं तु देवेशं ययातेस्तीर्थमुत्तमम् / कापिलं चैव सोमेशं ब्रह्मतीर्थमनुत्तमम्
gaṅgātīrthaṃ tu deveśaṃ yayātestīrthamuttamam / kāpilaṃ caiva someśaṃ brahmatīrthamanuttamam
“Ada Gaṅgā-tīrtha dan Deveśa; tīrtha yang paling unggul milik Raja Yayāti; juga Kāpilā-tīrtha bersama Someśa; dan Brahma-tīrtha yang tiada bandingan.”
Narrator (Purāṇic narrator continuing a tirtha-listing discourse; traditionally transmitted via Vyāsa’s narration in Purāṇic frame-dialogue)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
This verse is primarily a tīrtha-catalogue; its spiritual thrust is indirect—affirming that sacred geography and dharmic pilgrimage are supports (upāyas) for inner purification that prepares one for knowledge of Ātman taught elsewhere in the Kurma Purana.
No specific yogic technique is described in this line; it promotes tīrtha-yātrā and devotional reverence to named sacred sites and deities (including Someśa/Śiva), which in the Purāṇic path function as preparatory disciplines alongside vrata, dāna, and worship.
By placing Someśa (a Śaiva sacred presence) within a broader Purāṇic tīrtha framework, the verse reflects the Kurma Purana’s integrative stance: Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava sanctities coexist as complementary avenues within one dharmic cosmos.