Shloka 80
Narmadā–Tīrtha-Māhātmya: Sequence of Sacred Fords and Their Fruits
ततो गच्छेत राजेन्द्र एरण्डीतीर्थमुत्तमम् / संगमे तु नरः स्नायादुपवासपरायणः / ब्राह्मणं भोजयेदेकं कोटिर्भवति भोजिताः
tato gaccheta rājendra eraṇḍītīrthamuttamam / saṃgame tu naraḥ snāyādupavāsaparāyaṇaḥ / brāhmaṇaṃ bhojayedekaṃ koṭirbhavati bhojitāḥ
பின்னர், அரசே, சிறந்த எரண்டீதீர்த்தத்திற்குச் செல்ல வேண்டும். சங்கமத்தில் நோன்பில் நிலைத்து நீராடி, அங்கே ஒரே ஒரு பிராமணருக்கே உணவளித்தாலும், கோடி பேருக்கு உணவளித்ததற்குச் சமமான பலன் உண்டாகும்.
Sūta (narrating the Kurma Purana’s tirtha-instructions to the assembled sages, within the broader Kurma Purana dialogue frame)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
This verse does not directly define Ātman; it teaches dharmic purification through tīrtha-snāna, upavāsa, and dāna—outer disciplines that, in the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis, support inner clarity conducive to Self-knowledge.
It emphasizes preparatory yogic restraints (niyama-like discipline): fasting (upavāsa), ritual bathing at a saṅgama (tīrtha-snāna), and charitable feeding (brāhmaṇa-bhojana). These are presented as purifying observances that strengthen sādhana and devotion.
The verse is primarily a tīrtha and charity instruction and does not explicitly mention Shiva or Vishnu; however, within the Kurma Purana’s integrated theology, such tīrtha-vrata practices are understood as acceptable to the one Supreme (Hari-Hara) approached through dharma and devotion.