Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 32
Snātaka and Gṛhastha-Dharma: Conduct, Marriage Norms, Daily Rites, and Liberating Virtues
चतुर्दशानां विद्यानां धारणं हि यतार्थतः / विज्ञानमिति तद् विद्याद् येन धर्मो विवर्धते
caturdaśānāṃ vidyānāṃ dhāraṇaṃ hi yatārthataḥ / vijñānamiti tad vidyād yena dharmo vivardhate
Know as vijñāna (realized knowledge) the truthful assimilation of the fourteen disciplines of learning, by which Dharma is nourished and made to flourish.
Lord Kūrma (Vishnu) instructing the sages/Indradyumna-context on Dharma and true knowledge
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
By distinguishing mere “vidyā” from “vijñāna,” the verse implies that truth-aligned, assimilated knowledge matures into realization—knowledge that transforms conduct and supports Dharma, a hallmark of Atman-oriented understanding rather than book-learning.
While not naming a specific technique, it emphasizes dhāraṇa as “assimilation/steady holding” of truth—pointing to yogic internalization where learning becomes lived discrimination (viveka), the kind of disciplined understanding valued in Kurma Purana’s Yoga-śāstra outlook.
It frames “true knowledge” as that which increases Dharma—an integrative Purāṇic criterion that supports the Kurma Purana’s synthesis: devotion and realization, whether expressed through Shaiva or Vaishnava idioms, are validated by their capacity to uphold Dharma.