Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 20
Varnāśrama-Krama, Vairāgya as the Ground of Saṃnyāsa, and Brahmārpaṇa Karma-yoga
अन्यथा यदि कर्माणि कुर्यान्नित्यमपि द्विजः / अकृत्वा फलसंन्यासं बध्यते तत्फलेन तु
anyathā yadi karmāṇi kuryānnityamapi dvijaḥ / akṛtvā phalasaṃnyāsaṃ badhyate tatphalena tu
Andernfalls wird selbst ein Zweimalgeborener (dvija), auch wenn er täglich handelt, wenn er die Anhaftung an die Früchte nicht aufgibt, wahrlich durch eben diese Ergebnisse gebunden.
Sūta (narrating the Purāṇic teaching of dharma and karma-yoga as received from the sages)
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
It implies that bondage belongs to the doer’s attachment to results, not to the Self; when fruit-attachment is renounced, action no longer entangles awareness, aligning with the Purāṇic view that the Atman remains intrinsically unbound.
It highlights karma-yoga through phala-tyāga (renunciation of the fruits): performing one’s prescribed duties in varṇāśrama while offering outcomes to Īśvara, a core preparatory discipline that supports deeper yoga (including Pāśupata-oriented purification) by reducing egoic grasping.
By centering on Īśvara-oriented renunciation rather than sectarian identity, the verse fits the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis: liberation is taught through devotion and surrender to the one Lord (Īśvara) beyond fruit-attachment.