Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 22
Durjaya, Urvaśī, and the Expiation at Vārāṇasī
Genealogy and Sin-Removal through Viśveśvara
सो ऽतीव कामुको राजा गन्धर्वेणाथ तेन हि / चकार सुमहद् युद्धं मालामादातुमुद्यतः
so 'tīva kāmuko rājā gandharveṇātha tena hi / cakāra sumahad yuddhaṃ mālāmādātumudyataḥ
وكان ذلك الملك قد اشتدّ عليه لهيب الشهوة، فخاض مع ذلك الغندرف قتالًا عظيمًا، عازمًا على انتزاع الإكليل.
Purana narrator (Suta/Vyasa tradition) describing the episode
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: shringara
FAQs
Indirectly: it highlights the mind’s bondage to kāma (desire). In Kurma Purana’s broader teaching, realization of the Self requires mastery over such impulses, since the Atman is not fulfilled by sense-objects.
No formal practice is stated, but the verse functions as a cautionary example: desire triggers agitation and violence. In the Kurma Purana’s yoga-ethic, restraint (dama), control of the senses (indriya-nigraha), and dispassion (vairāgya) are prerequisites for higher disciplines such as dhyāna.
It does not mention them explicitly; however, within the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis, such narratives support a shared dharmic message: whether framed through Vishnu’s or Shiva’s instruction elsewhere, conquest of inner passion is essential for spiritual ascent.