Kurma Purana · Chapter 1.29

iti śrīkūrmapurāṇe ṣaṭsāhastryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ pūrvavibhāge aṣṭāviṃśo 'dhyāyaḥ
ṛṣaya ūcuḥ
prāpya vārāṇasīṃ divyāṃ kṛṣṇadvaipāyano muniḥ /
kimakārṣonmahābuddhiḥ śrotuṃ kautūhalaṃ hi naḥ

sūta uvāca
prāpya vārāṇasī divyāmupaspṛśya mahāmuniḥ /
pūjayāmāsa jāhnavyāṃ devaṃ viśveśvaraṃ śivam

tamāgataṃ puniṃ dṛṣṭvā tatra ye nivasanti vai /
pūjayāñcakrire vyāsaṃ munayo munipuṅgavam

papracchuḥ praṇatāḥ sarve kathāḥ pāpavināśanīḥ /
mahādevāśrayāḥ puṇyā mokṣadharmān sanātanān

sa cāpi kathayāmāsa sarvajño bhagavānṛṣiḥ /
māhātmyaṃ devadevasya dharmān vedanidarśitān

teṣāṃ madhye munīndrāṇāṃ vyāsaśiṣyo mahāmuniḥ /
pṛṣṭavān jaiminirvyāsaṃ gūḍhamarthaṃ sanātanam

jaiminiruvāca
bhagavan saṃśayaṃ tvekaṃ chettumarhasi tattvataḥ /
na vidyate hyaviditaṃ bhavatā paramarṣiṇā

kecid dhyānaṃ praśaṃsanti dharmamevāpare janāḥ /
anye sāṃkhyaṃ tathā yogaṃ tapastvanye maharṣayaḥ

brahmacaryamatho maunamanye prāharmaharṣayaḥ /
ahiṃsāṃ satyamapyanye saṃnyāsamapare viduḥ

kecid dayāṃ praśaṃsanti dānamadhyayanaṃ tathā /
tīrthayātrāṃ tathā kecidanye cendriyanigraham

kimeteṣāṃ bhavejjyāyaḥ prabrūhi munipuṅgava /
yadi vā vidyate 'pyanyad guhyaṃ tadvaktumarhasi

śrutvā sa jaiminervākyaṃ kṛṣṇadvaipāyano muniḥ /
prāha gambhīrayā vācā praṇamya vṛṣaketanam

sādhu sādhu mahābhāga yatpṛṣṭaṃ bhavatā mune /
vakṣye guhyatamād guhyaṃ śruṇvantvanye maharṣayaḥ

īśvareṇa purā proktaṃ jñānametat sanātanam /
gūḍhamaprājñavidviṣṭaṃ sevitaṃ sūkṣmadarśibhiḥ

nāśraddadhāne dātavyaṃ nābhakte parameṣṭhinaḥ /
na vedavidviṣu śubhaṃ jñānanānāṃ jñānamuttamam

meruśṛṅge purā devamīśānaṃ tripuradviṣam /
devāsanagatā devī mahādevamapṛcchata

devyuvāca
devadeva mahādeva bhaktānāmārtināśana /
kathaṃ tvāṃ puruṣo devamacirādeva paśyati

sāṃkhyayogastathā dhyānaṃ karmayogo 'tha vaidikaḥ /
āyāsabahulā loke yāni cānyāni śaṅkara

yena vibrāntacittānāṃ yogināṃ karmiṇāmapi /
dṛśyo hi bhagavān sūkṣmaḥ sarveṣāmatha dehinām

etad guhyatamaṃ jñānaṃ gūḍhaṃ brahmādisevitama /
hitāya sarvabhaktānāṃ brūhi kāmāṅganāśana

īśvara uvāca
avācyametad vijñānaṃ jñānamajñairbahiṣkṛtam /
vakṣye tava yathā tattvaṃ yaduktaṃ paramarṣibhiḥ

paraṃ guhyatamaṃ kṣetraṃ mama vārāṇasī purī /
sarveṣāmeva bhūtānāṃ saṃsārārṇavatāriṇī

tatra bhaktā mahādevi madīyaṃ vratamāsthitāḥ /
nivasanti mahātmānaḥ paraṃ niyamamāsthitāḥ

uttamaṃ sarvatīrthānāṃ sthānānāmuttamaṃ ca tat /
jñānānāmuttamaṃ jñānamavimuktaṃ paraṃ mama

sthānāntaraṃ pavitrāṇi tīrthānyāyatanāni ca /
śmaśānasaṃsthitānyeva divyabhūmigatāni ca

bhūrloke naiva saṃlagnamantarikṣe mamālayam /
ayuktāstanna paśyanti yuktāḥ paśyanti cetasā

śmasānametad vikhyātamavimuktamiti śrutam /
kālo bhūtvā jagadidaṃ saṃharāmyatra sundari

devīdaṃ sarvaguhyānāṃ sthānaṃ priyatamaṃ mama /
madbhaktāstatra gacchanti māmeva praviśanti te

dattaṃ japtaṃ hutaṃ ceṣṭaṃ tapastaptaṃ kṛtaṃ ca yat /
dhyānamadhyayanaṃ jñānaṃ sarvaṃ tatrākṣayaṃ bhavet

janmāntarasahastreṣu yatpāpaṃ pūrvasaṃcitam /
avimuktaṃ praviṣṭasya tatsarvaṃ vrajati kṣayam

brāhmaṇāḥ kṣatriyā vaiśyāḥ śūdrā ye varṇasaṃkarāḥ /
striyo mlecchāśca ye cānye saṃkīrṇāḥ pāpayonayaḥ

koṭāḥ pipīlikāścaiva ye cānye mṛgapakṣiṇaḥ /
kālena nidhanaṃ prāptā avimukte varānane

candrārdhamaulayastryakṣā mahāvṛṣabhavāhanāḥ /
śive mama pure devi jāyante tatra mānavāḥ

nāvimukte mṛtaḥ kaścinnarakaṃ yāti kilbiṣī /
īśvarānugṛhītā hi sarve yānti parāṃ gatim

mokṣaṃ sudurlabhaṃ matvā saṃsāraṃ cātibhīṣaṇam /
aśmanā caraṇau hatvā vārāṇasyāṃ vasennaraḥ

durlabhā tapasā cāpi pūtasya parameśvari /
yatra tatra vipannasya gatiḥ saṃsāramokṣaṇī

prasādājjāyate hyetanmama śailendranandini /
aprabuddhā na paśyanti mama māyāvimohitāḥ

avimuktaṃ na sevanti mūḍhā ye tamasāvṛtāḥ /
viṇmūtraretasāṃ madhye te vasanti punaḥ punaḥ

hanyamāno 'pi yo vidvān vased vighnaśatairapi /
sa yāti paramaṃ sthānaṃ yatra gatvā na śocati

janmamṛtyujarāmuktaṃ paraṃ yāti śivālayam /
apunarmaraṇānāṃ hi sā gatirmokṣakāṅkṣiṇām /
yāṃ prāpya kṛtakṛtyaḥ syāditi manyanti paṇḍatāḥ

na dānairna tapobhiśca na yajñairnāpi vidyayā /
prāpyate gatirutkṛṣṭā yāvimukte tu labhyate

nānāvarṇā vivarṇāśca caṇḍālādyā jugupsitāḥ /
kilbiṣaiḥ pūrṇadehā ye viśiṣṭaiḥ pātakaistathā /
bheṣajaṃ paramaṃ teṣāmavimuktaṃ vidurbudhāḥ

avimuktaṃ paraṃ jñānamavimuktaṃ paraṃ padam /
avimuktaṃ paraṃ tattvamavimuktaṃ paraṃ śivam

kṛtvā vai naiṣṭhikīṃ dīkṣāmavimukte vasanti ye /
teṣāṃ tatparamaṃ jñānaṃ dadāmyante paraṃ padam

prāyāgaṃ naimiṣaṃ puṇyaṃ śrīśailo 'tha mahālayaḥ /
kedāraṃ bhadrakarṇaṃ ca gayā puṣkarameva ca

kurukṣetraṃ rudrakoṭirnarmadāmrātakeśvaram /
śāligrāmaṃ ca kubjāmraṃ kokāmukhamanuttamam /
prabhāsaṃ vijayeśānaṃ gokarṇaṃ bhadrakarṇakam

etāni puṇyasthānāni trailokye viśrutāni ha /
na yāsyanti paraṃ mokṣaṃ vārāṇasyāṃ yathā mṛtāḥ

vārāṇasyāṃ viśeṣeṇa gaṅgā tripathagāminī /
praviṣṭā nāśayet pāpaṃ janmāntaraśataiḥ kṛtam

anyatra sulabhā gaṅgā śrāddhaṃ dānaṃ tapo japaḥ /
vratāni sarvamevaitad vārāṇasyāṃ sudurlabham

yajeta juhuyānnityaṃ dadātyarcayate 'marān /
vāyubhakṣaśca satataṃ vārāṇasyāṃ stito naraḥ

yadi pāpo yadi śaṭho yadi vādhārmiko naraḥ /
vārāṇasīṃ samāsādya punāti sakalaṃ naraḥ

vārāṇasyāṃ mahādevaṃ yer'cayanti stuvanti vai /
sarvapāpavinirmuktāste vijñeyā gaṇeśvarāḥ

anyatra yogajñānābhyāṃ saṃnyāsādathavānyataḥ /
prāpyate tat paraṃ sthānaṃ sahastreṇaiva janmanā

ye bhaktā devadeveśe vārāṇasyāṃ vasanti vai /
te vindanti paraṃ mokṣamekenaiva tu janmanā

yatra yogastathā jñānaṃ muktirekena janmanā /
avimuktaṃ samāsādya nānyad gacchet tapovanam

yato mayā na muktaṃ tadavimuktaṃ tataḥ smṛtam /
tadeva guhyaṃ guhyānāmetad vijñāya mucyate

jñānājñānābhiniṣṭhānāṃ paramānandamicchatām /
yā gatirvihitā subhru sāvimukte mṛtasya tu

yāni caivāvimuktasya dehe tūktāni kṛtsnaśaḥ /
purī vārāṇasī tebhyaḥ sthānebhyo hyadhikāśubhā

yatra sākṣānmahādevo dehānte svayamīśvaraḥ /
vyācaṣṭe tārakaṃ brahma tatraiva hyavimuktakam

yat tat parataraṃ tattvamavimuktamiti śrutam /
ekena janmanā devi vārāṇasyāṃ tadāpnuyāt

bhrūmadhye nābhimadhye ca hṛdaye caiva mūrdhani /
yathāvimuktāditye vārāṇasyāṃ vyavasthitam

varaṇāyāstathā cāsyā madhye vārāṇasī purī /
tatraiva saṃsthitaṃ tattvaṃ nityamevāvimuktakam

vārāṇasyāḥ paraṃ sthānaṃ na bhūtaṃ na bhaviṣyati /
yatra nārāyaṇo devo mahādevo diveśvaraḥ

tatra devāḥ sagandharvāḥ sayakṣoragarākṣasāḥ /
upāsate māṃ satataṃ devadevaṃ pitāmaham

mahāpātakino ye ca ye tebhyaḥ pāpakṛttamāḥ /
vārāṇasīṃ samāsādya te yānti paramāṃ gatim

tasmānmumukṣurniyato vased vai maraṇāntikam /
vārāṇasyāṃ mahādevājjñānaṃ labdhvā vimucyate

kintu vighnā bhaviṣyanti pāpopahatacetasaḥ /
tato naiva caret pāpaṃ kāyena manasā girā

etad rahasyaṃ vedānāṃ purāṇānāṃ ca suvratāḥ /
avimuktāśrayaṃ jñānaṃ na kaścid vetti tattvataḥ

devatānāmṛṣīṇāṃ ca śṛṇvatāṃ parameṣṭhinām /
devyai devena kathitaṃ sarvapāpavināśanam

yathā nārāyaṇaḥ śreṣṭho devānāṃ puruṣottamaḥ /
yatheśvarāṇāṃ giriśaḥ sthānānāṃ caitaduttamam

yaiḥ samārādhito rudraḥ pūrvasminneva janmani /
te vindanti paraṃ kṣetramavimuktaṃ śivālayam

kalikalmaṣasaṃbhūtā yeṣāmupahatā matiḥ /
na teṣāṃ vedituṃ śakyaṃ sthānaṃ tat parameṣṭhinaḥ

ye smaranti sadā kālaṃ vindanti ca purīmimām /
teṣāṃ vinaśyati kṣipramihāmutra ca pātakam

yāni ceha prakurvanti pātakāni kṛtālayāḥ /
nāśayet tāni sarvāṇi devaḥ kālatanuḥ śivaḥ

āgacchatāmidaṃ sthānaṃ sevituṃ mokṣakāṅkṣiṇām /
mṛtānāṃ ca punarjanam na bhūyo bhavasāgare

tasmāt sarvaprayatnena vārāṇasyāṃ vasennaraḥ /
yogī vāpyathavāyogī pāpī vā puṇyakṛttamaḥ

na vedavacanāt pitrorna caiva guruvādataḥ /
matirutkramaṇīyā syādavimuktagatiṃ prati

sūta uvāca
ityevamuktvā bhagavān vyāso vedavidāṃ varaḥ /
sahaiva śiṣyapravarairvārāṇasyāṃ cacāra ha