Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 24
Prayāga-māhātmya — The Greatness of Prayāga and the Discipline of Pilgrimage
प्रयागे तु विशेषेण स्वयं वसति वासवः / मण्डलं रक्षति हरिः सर्वदेवैश्च सम्मितम्
prayāge tu viśeṣeṇa svayaṃ vasati vāsavaḥ / maṇḍalaṃ rakṣati hariḥ sarvadevaiśca sammitam
پریاگ میں بالخصوص واسَوَ (اِندر) خود قیام کرتا ہے؛ اور تمام دیوتاؤں کی تائید یافتہ اُس مقدّس منڈل کی حفاظت ہری (وشنو) کرتے ہیں۔
Sūta (narrating the Kurma Purana’s tirtha-mahātmya section to the sages)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It presents the sacred geography of Prayāga as divinely protected—suggesting that proximity to a consecrated tīrtha supported by the devas aids purification and recollection of the higher Self, even though the verse itself focuses on divine guardianship rather than explicit ātma-doctrine.
No specific technique is named; the implied practice is tīrtha-sevā—residing, bathing, worshipping, and undertaking vows at Prayāga as a dharmic discipline that supports inner purification, a common preparatory ground for Yoga and devotion in the Kurma Purana’s broader teaching.
By portraying Hari as the protector of a universally god-sanctioned sacred domain, it aligns with the Purana’s integrative stance where major deities function harmoniously in sustaining dharma, rather than competing as separate absolutes.