Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 3
Vānaprastha-Dharma: Forest Discipline, Vaikhānasa Austerities, and Śiva-Āśrama as the Liberative Refuge
शुक्लपक्षस्य पूर्वाह्ने प्रशस्ते चोत्तरायणे / गत्वारण्यं नियमवांस्तपः कुर्यात् समाहितः
śuklapakṣasya pūrvāhne praśaste cottarāyaṇe / gatvāraṇyaṃ niyamavāṃstapaḥ kuryāt samāhitaḥ
শুক্লপক্ষে, পূর্বাহ্নে, শুভক্ষণে এবং উত্তরায়ণে, বনে গিয়ে নিয়মপরায়ণ ও সমাহিতচিত্ত হয়ে তপস্যা করা উচিত।
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing on dharma and disciplined tapas (Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis ethos)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
Indirectly: it emphasizes prerequisites—purity, discipline, and mental collectedness—through which the seeker becomes fit to realize the Self beyond ritual timing.
A niyama-centered approach: regulated observances, withdrawal to a quiet forest setting, and samādhāna (mental one-pointedness) as the basis for sustained tapas and contemplation.
By presenting a shared dharma of tapas and inner discipline valued across Shaiva and Vaishnava streams—an integrative spiritual ethic characteristic of the Kurma Purana.