Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 1
Vārāṇasī (Avimukta) Māhātmya and the Catalogue of Guhya-Tīrthas
इति श्रीकूर्मपुराणे षट्साहस्त्र्यां संहितायां पूर्वविभागे द्वात्रिंशो ऽध्यायः सूत उवाच ततः सर्वाणि गुह्यानि तीर्थान्यायतनानि च / जगाम भगवान् व्यासो जैमिनिप्रमुखैर्वृतः
iti śrīkūrmapurāṇe ṣaṭsāhastryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ pūrvavibhāge dvātriṃśo 'dhyāyaḥ sūta uvāca tataḥ sarvāṇi guhyāni tīrthānyāyatanāni ca / jagāma bhagavān vyāso jaiminipramukhairvṛtaḥ
如是，在《圣龟往世书》六千颂本集（Saṃhitā）之前分（Pūrva-bhāga）中，第三十二章圆满。苏多曰：其后，世尊毗耶娑在以阇弥尼为首的诸仙围绕下，启程前往一切隐秘圣渡（guhya-tīrtha）与诸圣所（āyatana）。
Sūta
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
This verse is primarily narrative (itihāsa-style) and does not directly define Ātman; it frames Vyāsa’s movement through tīrthas, implying the Purāṇic view that sacred places and disciplined pilgrimage can support inner purification that culminates in Self-knowledge.
No explicit yoga technique is stated; however, the motif of visiting guhya-tīrthas and āyatanas points to tīrtha-yātrā as a dhārmic discipline—supporting śuddhi (purification), vrata (observance), and devotional contemplation that the Kurma Purāṇa later aligns with yogic restraint and worship.
The verse does not explicitly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu, yet within the Kurma Purāṇa’s broader Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis, Vyāsa’s pilgrimage to tīrthas and shrines can be read as reverence toward the unified sacred landscape where both Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava sanctuaries function as supports for liberation-oriented dharma.