Shloka 2
Vānaprastha-Dharma: Forest Discipline, Vaikhānasa Austerities, and Śiva-Āśrama as the Liberative Refuge
निक्षिप्य भार्यां पुत्रेषु गच्छेद् वनमथापि वा / दृष्ट्वापत्यस्य चापत्यं जर्जरीकृतविग्रहः
nikṣipya bhāryāṃ putreṣu gacched vanamathāpi vā / dṛṣṭvāpatyasya cāpatyaṃ jarjarīkṛtavigrahaḥ
Nachdem er seine Frau den Söhnen anvertraut hat, soll er ebenfalls in den Wald aufbrechen. Und wenn er, mit vom Alter zerrüttetem Leib, die Kinder seiner Kinder erblickt, soll er sich der Waldlebensweise (vānaprastha) als der nächsten Stufe des Dharma zuwenden.
Traditional narrator in the Purva-bhāga teaching Varnāśrama-dharma (didactic passage within the Kurma Purana’s discourse)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
Indirectly: by urging withdrawal from household identity after fulfilling duties, it points to loosening ego-based roles so one can pursue inner realization of the Self beyond family and social station.
The verse emphasizes the prerequisite of vairāgya (dispassion) and life-stage discipline—entering vānaprastha—supporting later sādhana such as japa, austerity, and contemplative practice found elsewhere in the Kurma Purana’s yoga-oriented teachings.
It does not explicitly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu; its contribution to the Kurma Purana’s synthesis is structural—establishing dharma-based renunciation as a shared foundation for devotion and yoga, whether framed in Śaiva (Pāśupata) or Vaiṣṇava terms.