Shloka 11
Tīrtha-Māhātmya and the Discipline of Pilgrimage (Tīrtha-sevā) within Prāyaścitta
महाकालमिति ख्यातं तीर्थं त्रैलोक्यविश्रुतम् / गत्वा प्राणान् परित्यज्य गाणपत्यमवाप्नुयात्
mahākālamiti khyātaṃ tīrthaṃ trailokyaviśrutam / gatvā prāṇān parityajya gāṇapatyamavāpnuyāt
‘மஹாகால’ எனப் புகழ்பெற்ற, மூவுலகிலும் பிரசித்தமான அந்தத் தீர்த்தத்திற்குச் சென்று அங்கே உயிர் துறப்பவன், கணபதியின் பதமான ‘காணபத்ய’ நிலையை அடைவான்.
Lord Kūrma (Vishnu) instructing in a tīrtha-māhātmya context
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
Indirectly: it frames death at a sanctified tīrtha as a spiritually charged transition, implying that the end of prāṇa can become a yogic “departure” aligned with divine order, rather than mere physical cessation.
The verse emphasizes tīrtha-sevā and intentional end-of-life renunciation (prāṇa-parityāga) at a holy place—an ascetic ideal that complements Kurma Purana disciplines (niyama, devotion, and ritual purity), even when not detailing formal āsana/prāṇāyāma.
By venerating “Mahākāla” (a strongly Śaiva epithet) within a Kūrma (Viṣṇu) discourse and promising a Gaṇapatya attainment, it reflects the Purāṇa’s integrative theology—multiple deities and their realms function within one dharmic-cosmic framework.