Shloka 72
Cosmic Manifestation, Mahāmāyā’s Mandate, Varṇāśrama-Dharma, and the Unity of the Trimūrti
ऋषच ऊचुः भगवन् देवतारिघ्न हिरण्याक्षनिषूदन / चत्वारो ह्याश्रमाः प्रोक्ता योगिनामेक उच्यते
ṛṣaca ūcuḥ bhagavan devatārighna hiraṇyākṣaniṣūdana / catvāro hyāśramāḥ proktā yogināmeka ucyate
Die ṛṣis sprachen: „O Bhagavan, Töter der Feinde der Götter, Vernichter Hiraṇyākṣas—obgleich vier Āśramas gelehrt werden, wird für die Yogins ein einziger (höchster) Āśrama verkündet.“
The Sages (Ṛṣayaḥ)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
By contrasting the four social-spiritual āśramas with the yogin’s “one āśrama,” the verse points to an inward, single-minded refuge in the Supreme—where realization of the Self (Ātman) transcends external life-stages and becomes the primary discipline.
The verse does not list techniques, but it frames the Kurma Purana’s yogic ideal: a unified, renunciant orientation (often expressed as steadfast yoga—dhyāna, vairāgya, and inner discipline) that can be regarded as the yogin’s single ‘āśrama’ beyond the fourfold varnāśrama scheme.
While the verse addresses the Lord in a Vaishnava idiom (Hiraṇyākṣa-slayer), its doctrinal move—privileging the yogic path over external classifications—aligns with the Kurma Purana’s broader synthesis where devotion and yoga culminate in one Supreme reality revered across Shaiva and Vaishnava traditions.