Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 21
Tīrtha-Māhātmya and the Discipline of Pilgrimage (Tīrtha-sevā) within Prāyaścitta
प्रायश्चित्ती च विधुरस्तथा पापचरो गृही / प्रकुर्यात् तीर्थसंसेवां ये चान्ये तादृशा जनाः
prāyaścittī ca vidhurastathā pāpacaro gṛhī / prakuryāt tīrthasaṃsevāṃ ye cānye tādṛśā janāḥ
பிராயச்சித்தம் செய்பவன், விதுரன், மேலும் பாவநடத்தை கொண்ட கிருஹஸ்தன்—இவர்கள் மற்றும் இதுபோன்றோர் தூய்மைக்காக பக்தியுடன் தீர்த்தங்களைச் சேவித்து அணுக வேண்டும்।
Traditional narration (Purāṇic narrator addressing the listener; contextual teaching aligned with Kurma’s dharma-instruction)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
Indirectly: it frames purification (śuddhi) through tīrtha-sevā as a preparatory discipline, making the mind fit for higher knowledge of the Self taught elsewhere in the Kurma Purana.
The verse emphasizes karmic and ethical preparation—prāyaścitta and tīrtha-sevā—which function as outer disciplines that support inner Yoga (restraint, purity, and steadiness) in the Kurma Purana’s broader soteriology.
It does not name Śiva or Viṣṇu explicitly; instead it presents a shared Purāṇic dharma framework where purification through tīrthas supports devotion and liberation, consistent with the text’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis.