Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 10
Varnāśrama-Krama, Vairāgya as the Ground of Saṃnyāsa, and Brahmārpaṇa Karma-yoga
प्रकर्तुमसमर्थो ऽपि जुहोतियजतिक्रियाः / अन्धः पङ्गुर्दरिद्रो वा विरक्तः संन्यसेद् द्विजः
prakartumasamartho 'pi juhotiyajatikriyāḥ / andhaḥ paṅgurdaridro vā viraktaḥ saṃnyased dvijaḥ
Even if a twice-born man is unable to carry out the rites of juhoti and yajati (offerings and sacrifices), if he is blind, lame, poor, or inwardly detached with vairāgya, he should renounce and take up sannyāsa.
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing on dharma and renunciation
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
By prioritizing virakti (dispassion) over external ritual capacity, the verse implies that inner renunciation and orientation toward the Self is a valid and higher basis for the spiritual path when outer acts are obstructed.
The verse points toward the renunciant discipline (sannyāsa) as a doorway to sustained inner practice—withdrawal from ritual obligations when impossible, cultivating detachment, and pursuing contemplative realization aligned with the Kurma Purana’s yoga-oriented teaching.
While not naming Shiva directly, the teaching harmonizes with the Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis: renunciation and inner realization are upheld as common dharmic aims across sectarian forms, with the same Supreme sought through disciplined detachment.