Svāyambhuva Lineage to Dakṣa; Pṛthu’s Devotion; Pāśupata Saṃnyāsa; Dakṣa–Satī Episode
सो ऽनुगृह्याथ राजानं सुशीलं शीलसंयुतम् / शिष्यत्वे परिजग्राह तपसा क्षीणकल्पषम्
so 'nugṛhyātha rājānaṃ suśīlaṃ śīlasaṃyutam / śiṣyatve parijagrāha tapasā kṣīṇakalpaṣam
Dann, nachdem er ihm Gnade erwiesen hatte, nahm er den König—sanftmütig und von edler Lebensführung—als Schüler an, denn seine Sünden waren durch Tapas aufgezehrt.
Narrator (Purana narrator describing the guru–disciple acceptance)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Indirectly, it teaches that realization is approached through inner purification: when impurity (kalmasha) is reduced by tapas and character (śīla), one becomes fit for liberating instruction about the Self.
Tapas (austerity/discipline) is emphasized as a core yogic means of purification and qualification—an essential foundation for receiving upadeśa (formal spiritual instruction) in the Kurma Purana’s yoga-oriented framework.
Though not naming Shiva or Vishnu explicitly, it reflects the Purana’s shared Shaiva–Vaishnava ethos: grace (anugraha) and ascetic purification (tapas) together authorize discipleship, a theme common to both Pashupata and Vaishnava soteriology.