Shloka 61
Avimukta-Māhātmya — Vyāsa in Vārāṇasī and Śiva’s Secret Teaching of Liberation
भ्रूमध्ये नाभिमध्ये च हृदये चैव मूर्धनि / यथाविमुक्तादित्ये वाराणस्यां व्यवस्थितम्
bhrūmadhye nābhimadhye ca hṛdaye caiva mūrdhani / yathāvimuktāditye vārāṇasyāṃ vyavasthitam
भ्रूमध्ये नाभिमध्ये च हृदये चैव मूर्धनि—एषा स्थितिर्यथाऽविमुक्ते, तथा वाराणस्यां व्यवस्थितम्।
Sūta (narrator) conveying the Kurma Purana’s teaching on Avimukta and yogic loci of liberation
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It implies that the liberating sacred reality is not only tied to an external holy place like Avimukta (Kashi), but is also ‘established’ within the practitioner at key inner loci—suggesting the Atman/Ishvara is accessible inwardly through contemplative realization.
The verse points to dhyāna on key yogic seats—bhrūmadhya (ajñā region), nābhi (navel-center), hṛdaya (heart-lotus), and mūrdhan (crown)—a map used in Purāṇic yoga to internalize the tirtha and stabilize awareness toward moksha.
By equating Kashi’s famed liberating power (traditionally Shaiva) with an inward, universally accessible yogic establishment (often taught in Vaishnava and Shaiva yoga alike), it supports the Kurma Purana’s synthesis: liberation is one, approached through complementary Shaiva-tirtha reverence and yogic interiorization.