Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 1
Avimukta-Māhātmya — Vyāsa in Vārāṇasī and Śiva’s Secret Teaching of Liberation
इति श्रीकूर्मपुराणे षट्साहस्त्र्यां संहितायां पूर्वविभागे अष्टाविंशो ऽध्यायः ऋषय ऊचुः प्राप्य वाराणसीं दिव्यां कृष्णद्वैपायनो मुनिः / किमकार्षोन्महाबुद्धिः श्रोतुं कौतूहलं हि नः
iti śrīkūrmapurāṇe ṣaṭsāhastryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ pūrvavibhāge aṣṭāviṃśo 'dhyāyaḥ ṛṣaya ūcuḥ prāpya vārāṇasīṃ divyāṃ kṛṣṇadvaipāyano muniḥ / kimakārṣonmahābuddhiḥ śrotuṃ kautūhalaṃ hi naḥ
Assim, no Śrī Kūrma Purāṇa, na Saṃhitā de seis mil ślokas, no Pūrva-bhāga, inicia-se o vigésimo oitavo capítulo. Disseram os ṛṣis: “Tendo chegado à divina Vārāṇasī, que fez o muni Kṛṣṇa-Dvaipāyana (Vyāsa), de grande entendimento? De fato, estamos ansiosos por ouvir.”
The sages (Ṛṣayaḥ)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
This verse does not directly teach Ātman-doctrine; it functions as a narrative gateway, situating the teaching tradition in a sacred setting (Vārāṇasī) and establishing authoritative transmission through Vyāsa.
No specific yoga technique is described in this opening query; it introduces a tīrtha-based context that, in the Kurma Purāṇa, often precedes dharma and yoga teachings (including later discussions connected to Pāśupata-oriented discipline and devotion).
The verse itself is neutral on Shiva–Vishnu theology; it frames the discourse through Vyāsa and the sacred geography of Kāśī, a locus that later supports the Purāṇa’s broader Shaiva–Vaiṣṇava synthesis.