Tīrtha-Māhātmya: Mahālaya, Kedāra, Rivers and Fords, and Devadāru Forest
Akṣaya-Karma Doctrine
दशार्णायां तथा दानं श्राद्धं होमस्तथा जपः / अक्षयं चाव्ययं चैव कृतं भवति सर्वदा
daśārṇāyāṃ tathā dānaṃ śrāddhaṃ homastathā japaḥ / akṣayaṃ cāvyayaṃ caiva kṛtaṃ bhavati sarvadā
ฉันนั้นในแคว้นทศารณา การให้ทาน ศราทธะ โหมะ และการสวดภาวนา (ชปะ) ไม่ว่าสิ่งใดที่กระทำ ย่อมมีผลเป็นอักษยะและอวฺยยะ คือไม่สิ้นไม่เสื่อมอยู่เสมอ.
Lord Kūrma (Vishnu) instructing sages on sacred geography and the enduring fruits of dharmic acts
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
It does not directly define Ātman; instead it teaches a dharma-principle: acts aligned with sacred order (dāna, śrāddha, homa, japa) performed in a sanctified region yield “akṣaya” (undiminishing) results, implying a cosmic moral law upheld by the Supreme.
Japa (mantra-recitation) is the explicit inner practice; the verse frames it alongside homa and śrāddha as disciplines that purify and concentrate the practitioner, supporting a yogic life of regulated action (karma) and devotion (bhakti).
The verse is not sectarian; it presents universally valid dharmic practices (including mantra-japa and homa used in both Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava traditions), consistent with the Kūrma Purāṇa’s synthesis where merit arises from devotion and right practice rather than exclusivist identity.