Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 38
Tīrtha-māhātmya and Rudra’s Samanvaya Teaching
Maṅkaṇaka Episode
अश्वतीर्थमिति ख्यातं सिद्धावासं सुपावनम् / आस्ते हयशिरा नित्यं तत्र नारायणः स्वयम्
aśvatīrthamiti khyātaṃ siddhāvāsaṃ supāvanam / āste hayaśirā nityaṃ tatra nārāyaṇaḥ svayam
Nơi ấy được tôn xưng là Aśvatīrtha, chốn cư ngụ vô cùng thanh tịnh của các bậc siddha. Tại đó, chính Nārāyaṇa thường trụ trong hình tướng Hayāśiras, Đấng đầu ngựa.
Primary narrator in the tirtha-mahatmya section (Purana narrator addressing the listening sages)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
By stating that Nārāyaṇa “Himself” abides there eternally, the verse points to the Supreme as a living, ever-present reality—accessible through sacred space and devotion, not merely as an abstract principle.
The verse emphasizes tīrtha-sevā (pilgrimage and sacred observance) and siddha-saṅga (orientation to perfected beings). In Kurma Purana practice, such holy places support purification (śuddhi) that becomes a foundation for dhyāna and disciplined yoga.
While explicitly Vaiṣṇava (Nārāyaṇa as Hayāśiras), it uses the shared Purāṇic idiom of “siddhāvāsa” and tīrtha-purity prized across Shaiva and Vaiṣṇava traditions—reflecting Kurma Purana’s integrative (non-sectarian) sacred geography.