Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 15
Saṃnyāsa-dharma — Qualifications, Threefold Renunciation, and the Conduct of the Yati
ग्रामान्ते वृक्षमूले वा वसेद् देवालये ऽपि वा / समः शत्रौ च मित्रे च तथा मानापमानयोः / भैक्ष्येण वर्तयेन्नित्यं नैकान्नादी भवेत् क्वचित्
grāmānte vṛkṣamūle vā vased devālaye 'pi vā / samaḥ śatrau ca mitre ca tathā mānāpamānayoḥ / bhaikṣyeṇa vartayennityaṃ naikānnādī bhavet kvacit
Er soll am Rand des Dorfes wohnen, am Fuß eines Baumes oder sogar in einem Tempel. Gegen Feind und Freund bleibe er gleichmütig, ebenso gegenüber Ehre und Unehre. Indem er stets von Almosen lebt, soll er niemals zu einem werden, der vielerlei Speisen begehrt.
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing Indradyumna and the sages in the Upari-bhaga’s Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
By prescribing sameness toward friend/enemy and honor/dishonor, it points to Atman-vision (sama-darśana): the Self is steady and unaffected by social opposites, so the practitioner trains the mind to rest in that inner impartiality.
It highlights sādhana through vairāgya and niyama: simple dwelling (village edge/tree root/temple), bhikṣā as livelihood, and restraint from culinary variety—supports meditation by reducing distraction, strengthening contentment, and stabilizing samatva central to Pāśupata-oriented discipline.
In the Kurma Purana’s blended theology, Vishnu as Lord Kurma teaches a renunciate discipline often associated with Shaiva/Pāśupata asceticism, showing a shared yogic ethic and a unified path of liberation across Shaiva–Vaishnava traditions.