Narmadā-māhātmya: Amarakāṇṭaka, Jāleśvara, Kapilā–Viśalyakaraṇī, and the Supreme Purifying Power of Darśana
प्रदक्षिणं तु यः कुर्यात् पर्वतं ह्यमरकण्टकम् / पौण्डरीकस्य यज्ञस्य फलं प्राप्नोति मानः
pradakṣiṇaṃ tu yaḥ kuryāt parvataṃ hyamarakaṇṭakam / pauṇḍarīkasya yajñasya phalaṃ prāpnoti mānaḥ
ผู้ใดเวียนประทักษิณารอบภูเขาอมรคัณฑกะ ผู้นั้นย่อมได้รับผลบุญแห่งพิธีปุณฑรีกยัญญะ।
Sūta (narrator) relaying the Kurma Purana’s tirtha-mahātmya teaching in the Purva-bhaga
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Indirectly: it teaches that dharmic action performed with reverence in a sanctified field (tīrtha) yields transformative merit—preparing the mind for steadiness and purity, which are prerequisites for realizing the Self in later philosophical teachings.
The practice is karmayoga-oriented pilgrimage discipline: pradakṣiṇā (clockwise circumambulation) as a bodily form of devotion and attention, aligning the practitioner with sacred order (ṛta/dharma) and cultivating bhakti, restraint, and one-pointedness.
By emphasizing tīrtha and yajña as universally valid means of merit, it reflects the Purana’s synthesizing outlook: sacred acts are upheld across sectarian lines, supporting the broader Shaiva–Vaishnava harmony found throughout the Kurma Purana.