Avimukta-Māhātmya — Vyāsa in Vārāṇasī and Śiva’s Secret Teaching of Liberation
देवतानामृषीणां च शृण्वतां परमेष्ठिनाम् / देव्यै देवेन कथितं सर्वपापविनाशनम्
devatānāmṛṣīṇāṃ ca śṛṇvatāṃ parameṣṭhinām / devyai devena kathitaṃ sarvapāpavināśanam
เมื่อเหล่าเทวะ ฤๅษี และหมู่ทิพยผู้สูงสุดกำลังสดับอยู่ พระเทวะได้ตรัสแก่พระเทวีถึงคำสอนอันทำลายบาปทั้งปวง
Sūta (narrator) describing the scene of divine instruction (Deva teaching Devī)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
This verse does not define Ātman directly; it frames revelation as a purifying upadeśa—heard by exalted beings—implying that true knowledge transmitted by the Lord removes pāpa and prepares one for realization.
The practice emphasized here is śravaṇa (reverent listening). In the Kurma Purana’s spiritual method, disciplined hearing of authoritative teaching is a foundational limb that supports later contemplation and Yoga-oriented assimilation.
By presenting “the Deva” instructing “the Devī” before gods and sages, the verse participates in the Purana’s integrative style where supreme instruction is shared in a way compatible with Shaiva-Śākta and Vaiṣṇava reverence, pointing to a unified sacred authority rather than sectarian opposition.