Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 146
Devī-tattva, Śakti–Śaktimān doctrine, Kāla–Māyā cosmology, and Māheśvara Yoga instruction
कपिला कापिला कान्ताकनकाभाकलान्तरा / पुण्या पुष्करिणी भोक्त्री पुरन्दरपुरस्सरा
kapilā kāpilā kāntākanakābhākalāntarā / puṇyā puṣkariṇī bhoktrī purandarapurassarā
Kapilā, Kāpilā, a Radiante cuja beleza cintila como ouro; a santa Puṇyā, a Puṣkariṇī qual lago de lótus, doadora de deleite e sustento, e aquela que vai à frente da cidade de Purandara (Indra).
Sūta (narrating the Kurma Purana’s sacred geography in a tirtha-mahatmya catalogue style)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shringara
FAQs
This verse does not directly define Ātman; it praises sacred manifestations (names of a holy tank/river-like tirtha) whose merit purifies the seeker—preparing the mind for the Ātman-knowledge taught elsewhere in the Kurma Purana (including the Ishvara Gītā sections).
No technique is taught explicitly; the implied discipline is tīrtha-sevā—pilgrimage, ritual bathing, and reverent contemplation—which functions as śuddhi (purification). In Kurma Purana’s broader Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis, such purification supports steadiness for Pāśupata-oriented restraint, japa, and meditation.
The verse itself is a tirtha-epithet catalogue rather than a doctrinal statement; however, in the Kurma Purana’s integrative theology, sacred waters and their merits are shared means of purification honored across Shaiva and Vaishnava paths, supporting non-sectarian dharma leading toward the same highest realization.