Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 35
Dvīpa-Varṣa Vibhāga and the Priyavrata–Agnīdhra Lineage
Cosmic Geography and Royal Succession
ऋषभाद् भरतो जज्ञे वीरः पुत्रशताग्रजः / सो ऽभिषिच्यर्षभः पुत्रं भरतं पृथिवीपतिः / वानप्रस्थाश्रमं गत्वा तपस्तेपे यथाविधि
ṛṣabhād bharato jajñe vīraḥ putraśatāgrajaḥ / so 'bhiṣicyarṣabhaḥ putraṃ bharataṃ pṛthivīpatiḥ / vānaprasthāśramaṃ gatvā tapastepe yathāvidhi
Aus Ṛṣabha wurde Bharata geboren, ein Held, der Älteste unter hundert Söhnen. Dann weihte Ṛṣabha, der Herr der Erde, seinen Sohn Bharata zum König, trat in das Āśrama des Vānaprastha (Waldlebens) ein und übte Askese nach der vorgeschriebenen Ordnung.
Sūta (narrator) recounting Purāṇic royal genealogy to the sages
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
Indirectly, by presenting Ṛṣabha’s movement from sovereignty to disciplined tapas, it points to the Purāṇic ideal that worldly authority is secondary to inner mastery—self-rule (ātma-saṃyama) culminating in renunciant orientation toward the Self.
The verse emphasizes tapas within the vānaprastha āśrama—regulated austerity and disciplined living “as prescribed” (yathāvidhi), a dharma-based foundation that supports later yogic concentration and renunciant practice in the Kurma Purana’s broader spiritual framework.
It does not explicitly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu; instead, it reflects the Purāṇa’s synthetic ethic where dharma (right kingship) and tapas (austerity) together form a shared spiritual pathway honored across Śaiva-Vaiṣṇava traditions.