Shloka 133
Prākṛta-pralaya, Pratisarga Doctrine, and the Ishvara-Samanvaya of Yoga and Devotion
तीर्थानां परमं तीर्थं तपसां च परं तपः / ज्ञानानां परमं ज्ञानं व्रतानां परमं व्रतम्
tīrthānāṃ paramaṃ tīrthaṃ tapasāṃ ca paraṃ tapaḥ / jñānānāṃ paramaṃ jñānaṃ vratānāṃ paramaṃ vratam
تیर्थوں میں یہ سب سے برتر تیर्थ ہے، تپسیا میں یہ اعلیٰ ترین تپس ہے؛ علوم میں یہ پرم گیان ہے اور ورتوں میں یہ سب سے بڑا ورت ہے۔
Lord Kūrma (Vishnu) teaching Dharma and inner pilgrimage (tīrtha) as part of Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
By ranking “supreme knowledge” above all other knowledges, the verse points toward liberating jñāna—Self-realization that culminates in seeing the highest Reality as the final refuge and purifier, the true “inner tīrtha.”
The verse frames Yoga as integrated discipline: tapas (austerity and restraint), vrata (regulated observances), and jñāna (contemplative realization). In Kurma Purana’s Pāśupata-oriented tone, these function as supports for purification and steady meditation leading to liberation.
Though spoken by Lord Kūrma (Vishnu), it uses a Shaiva-leaning ascetic vocabulary (tapas, vrata, jñāna) common to Pāśupata practice, reflecting the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis where the same Supreme is approached through shared disciplines.