Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 11
Tīrtha-Māhātmya and the Discipline of Pilgrimage (Tīrtha-sevā) within Prāyaścitta
महाकालमिति ख्यातं तीर्थं त्रैलोक्यविश्रुतम् / गत्वा प्राणान् परित्यज्य गाणपत्यमवाप्नुयात्
mahākālamiti khyātaṃ tīrthaṃ trailokyaviśrutam / gatvā prāṇān parityajya gāṇapatyamavāpnuyāt
May isang banal na tawiran na kilala bilang “Mahākāla,” bantog sa tatlong daigdig. Ang sinumang pumaroon at isuko ang hininga ng buhay ay makakamit ang kalagayan ni Gaṇapati (pagkapanginoon sa saklaw ni Gaṇeśa).
Lord Kūrma (Vishnu) instructing in a tīrtha-māhātmya context
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
Indirectly: it frames death at a sanctified tīrtha as a spiritually charged transition, implying that the end of prāṇa can become a yogic “departure” aligned with divine order, rather than mere physical cessation.
The verse emphasizes tīrtha-sevā and intentional end-of-life renunciation (prāṇa-parityāga) at a holy place—an ascetic ideal that complements Kurma Purana disciplines (niyama, devotion, and ritual purity), even when not detailing formal āsana/prāṇāyāma.
By venerating “Mahākāla” (a strongly Śaiva epithet) within a Kūrma (Viṣṇu) discourse and promising a Gaṇapatya attainment, it reflects the Purāṇa’s integrative theology—multiple deities and their realms function within one dharmic-cosmic framework.