Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 27
Tīrtha-Māhātmya: Mahālaya, Kedāra, Rivers and Fords, and Devadāru Forest
Akṣaya-Karma Doctrine
सरस्वत्या विनशनं प्लक्षप्रस्त्रवणं शुभम् / व्यासतीर्थं परं तीर्थं मैनाकं च नगोत्तमम् / यमुनाप्रभवं चैव सर्वपापविशोधनम्
sarasvatyā vinaśanaṃ plakṣaprastravaṇaṃ śubham / vyāsatīrthaṃ paraṃ tīrthaṃ mainākaṃ ca nagottamam / yamunāprabhavaṃ caiva sarvapāpaviśodhanam
“（这些是）：萨拉斯瓦蒂河隐没之处、普拉克沙（Plakṣa）的吉祥泉源、毗耶娑圣渡——至上的提尔塔——迈那迦山（Maināka），群山之最，以及亚穆那河的发源之域；这一切皆能净化，洗除诸罪。”
Purāṇic narrator (Sūta-type narration) enumerating tīrthas within the Kurma Purana’s pilgrimage-mahātmya section
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
This verse is not a direct Ātman-teaching; it emphasizes purification through tīrtha-saṅga (contact with sanctifying places). In the Kurma Purana’s broader synthesis, such outer purification supports inner clarity needed for Self-knowledge and devotion to Īśvara.
No specific āsana or dhyāna is taught here; the practice implied is tīrtha-yātrā and snāna (pilgrimage and ritual bathing) as preparatory disciplines that reduce pāpa and strengthen sāttvika disposition—often treated as supportive to higher Yoga and devotion in the text.
The verse itself is non-sectarian: it lists sacred sites and their purifying power without privileging one deity over another. This aligns with the Kurma Purana’s broader Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis, where tīrthas function as shared spiritual gateways leading toward the same Supreme.