Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 3
Vārāṇasī (Avimukta) Māhātmya and the Catalogue of Guhya-Tīrthas
आकाशाख्यं महातीर्थं तीर्थं चैवार्षभं परम् / स्वर्नोलं च महातीर्थं गौरीतीर्थमनुत्तमम्
ākāśākhyaṃ mahātīrthaṃ tīrthaṃ caivārṣabhaṃ param / svarnolaṃ ca mahātīrthaṃ gaurītīrthamanuttamam
‘آکاشاکھْی’ نام کا مہاتیرتھ ہے؛ اور اسی طرح اعلیٰ ‘رِشبھ تیرتھ’ بھی ہے۔ ‘سورنول’ بھی مہاتیرتھ ہے، اور ‘گوری تیرتھ’ بے مثال ہے۔
Sūta (narrating the Kurma Purana’s account to the sages, within a tirtha-kathā context)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
This verse does not directly define Ātman; it emphasizes tīrtha-smaraṇa and tīrtha-mahima—outer sacred geography that, in Purāṇic theology, supports inner purification conducive to Self-knowledge.
No specific yogic technique is named here; the practice implied is tīrtha-yātrā and reverential remembrance of sacred sites, traditionally paired with vows, bathing (snāna), japa, and restraint as preparatory disciplines.
By foregrounding Gaurī-tīrtha (Devī associated with Śiva) within a Vaiṣṇava Purāṇa framework, the verse reflects the Kurma Purana’s integrative stance: devotion and sacred merit transcend sectarian boundaries.