Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 78
Cosmic Manifestation, Mahāmāyā’s Mandate, Varṇāśrama-Dharma, and the Unity of the Trimūrti
तपस्तप्यति यो ऽरण्ये यजेद् देवान् जुहोति च / स्वाध्याये चैव निरतो वनस्थस्तापसो मतः
tapastapyati yo 'raṇye yajed devān juhoti ca / svādhyāye caiva nirato vanasthastāpaso mataḥ
مَن يتنسّك بالتقشّف في الغابة، ويعبدُ الآلهة (الدِّيفا) ويُقدّم القرابين في النار المقدّسة، ويلازم السْفادْهيَايَا، أي تلاوةَ الفيدا ودراستَها، فذلك الساكنُ في الغابة يُعَدّ «تابَسِن» حقًّا، ناسكًا صادقًا.
Traditional narrator voice (Purana’s instruction on dharma/ashrama-lakshana; framed as authoritative teaching within the Kurma Purana discourse)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
Indirectly: it defines the disciplined life (tapas, yajña/homa, and svādhyāya) that purifies the practitioner, preparing the mind for Self-knowledge rather than describing Atman explicitly.
A triad of practice is emphasized: tapas (austerity and restraint), yajña/homa (ritual offering as consecrated action), and svādhyāya (scriptural recitation and reflective study)—all foundational supports for later yogic interiorization in the Kurma Purana’s spiritual program.
It does not name Shiva or Vishnu directly; it reflects the Purana’s integrative dharma-vision where Vedic worship (yajña) and ascetic discipline (tapas) function together—compatible with the text’s broader Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis.