Prayāga-māhātmya — The Greatness of Prayāga and the Discipline of Pilgrimage
सूत उवाच शृणुध्वमृषयः सर्वे विस्तरेण ब्रवीमि वः / प्रयागस्य च माहात्म्यं यत्र देवः पितामहः
sūta uvāca śṛṇudhvamṛṣayaḥ sarve vistareṇa bravīmi vaḥ / prayāgasya ca māhātmyaṃ yatra devaḥ pitāmahaḥ
สูตะกล่าวว่า: “ท่านฤๅษีทั้งปวง จงฟังเถิด เราจักอธิบายโดยพิสดารถึงมหาตมยะของประยาคะ สถานที่ซึ่งเทพปิตามหะ (พรหมา) สถิตอยู่”
Suta
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
This verse does not directly define Ātman; it frames a teaching context where sacred geography (Prayāga) is presented as a support for purification and dharma—traditional prerequisites for realizing the Self.
No specific yoga technique is stated in this line; it introduces a tīrtha-māhātmya discourse, where practices typically include pilgrimage, bathing (snāna), vows (vrata), restraint, and devotion—auxiliary disciplines aligned with broader Purāṇic yoga and dharma.
This verse does not mention Śiva or Viṣṇu explicitly; it reflects the Purāṇic method of teaching through tīrthas and divine presence (here, Brahmā at Prayāga), a framework that elsewhere in the Kūrma Purāṇa supports a harmonizing, non-sectarian synthesis.