Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 1
Prayāga–Gaṅgā Tīrtha-māhātmya and Rules of Pilgrimage
Yātrā-vidhi
इति श्रीकूर्मपुराणे षट्साहस्त्र्यां संहितायां पूर्वविभागे चतुस्त्रिशो ऽध्यायः मार्कण्डेय उवाच कथयिष्यामि ते वत्स तीर्थयात्राविधिक्रमम् / आर्षेण तु विधानेन यथा दृष्टं यथा श्रुतम्
iti śrīkūrmapurāṇe ṣaṭsāhastryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ pūrvavibhāge catustriśo 'dhyāyaḥ mārkaṇḍeya uvāca kathayiṣyāmi te vatsa tīrthayātrāvidhikramam / ārṣeṇa tu vidhānena yathā dṛṣṭaṃ yathā śrutam
Sa ganito, sa banal na Kūrma Purāṇa—sa Saṃhitā na may anim na libong śloka, sa Pūrvabhāga—nagsisimula ang ika-35 kabanata. Wika ni Mārkaṇḍeya: “Mahal kong anak, isasalaysay ko sa iyo ang wastong pagkakasunod at tuntunin ng paglalakbay-pananampalataya sa mga tīrtha, ayon sa pamamaraang minana sa mga ṛṣi, gaya ng nakita at gaya ng narinig.”
Sage Markandeya
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
This verse does not directly define Ātman; it frames the teaching method: sacred practice (tīrtha-yātrā) is to be followed in an āṛṣa (seer-sanctioned) way, implying that realization is supported by disciplined dharma-based conduct and received tradition.
No specific yoga technique is named here; the verse introduces a structured vidhi-krama for tīrtha-yātrā, which in Purāṇic practice functions as a preparatory discipline—purification, restraint, and right observance—often treated as supportive to mantra, worship, and contemplative practices.
It does not explicitly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu; however, by grounding pilgrimage practice in the āṛṣa tradition, it aligns with the Kurma Purana’s broader integrative stance where orthodox dharma and sacred observances serve as a shared foundation across Shaiva and Vaishnava streams.