Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 1
Prayāga-māhātmya and Ṛṇa-pramocana-tīrtha — Māgha-snāna, Austerities, and Release from Debts
इति श्रीकूर्मपुराणे षट्साहस्त्र्यां संहितायां पूर्वविभागे पञ्चत्रिंशो ऽध्यायः मार्कण्डेय उवाच षष्टिस्तीर्थसहस्त्राणि षष्टिस्तीर्थशतानि च / माघमासे गमिष्यन्ति गङ्गायमुनसंगमम्
iti śrīkūrmapurāṇe ṣaṭsāhastryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ pūrvavibhāge pañcatriṃśo 'dhyāyaḥ mārkaṇḍeya uvāca ṣaṣṭistīrthasahastrāṇi ṣaṣṭistīrthaśatāni ca / māghamāse gamiṣyanti gaṅgāyamunasaṃgamam
Assim, no Śrī Kūrma Purāṇa, na Saṃhitā de seis mil versos, na seção anterior (Pūrva-bhāga), encerra-se o trigésimo quinto capítulo. Disse Mārkaṇḍeya: “Sessenta mil tīrthas e também seis mil lugares sagrados, no mês de Māgha, vão ao encontro do Gaṅgā com o Yamunā.”
Markandeya
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
This verse does not directly define Ātman; it emphasizes tīrtha-mahātmyā—how sacred space and sacred time (Māgha at the Saṅgama) support purification and dhārmic orientation that prepare the mind for Self-knowledge.
The implied practice is tīrtha-sevā such as Māgha observances (especially snāna at a saṅgama), which function as preparatory disciplines (śuddhi and saṃskāra) complementary to later yogic and devotional teachings in the Kūrma Purāṇa tradition.
It does not explicitly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu; however, the Kūrma Purāṇa’s synthesis often frames tīrthas and saṅgamas as universally sanctifying—shared sacred geography that supports both Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava modes of worship.