Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 30
Śrāddha-Kāla-Nirṇaya: Proper Times, Nakṣatra Fruits, Tīrtha Merit, and Offerings for Ancestral Rites
एष्टव्या बहवः पुत्राः शीलवन्तो गुणान्विताः / तेषां तु समवेतानां यद्येको ऽपि गायां व्रजेत्
eṣṭavyā bahavaḥ putrāḥ śīlavanto guṇānvitāḥ / teṣāṃ tu samavetānāṃ yadyeko 'pi gāyāṃ vrajet
Many sons should be sought—sons of good conduct and endowed with virtues. For when they are gathered together, if even one among them goes to tend, protect, or lead the cow to pasture, the family’s duty is fulfilled through that virtue.
Traditional narrator (Purāṇic discourse context; ethical instruction within the Kurma Purana’s dharma-teaching frame)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
This verse is primarily dharma-oriented rather than metaphysical: it emphasizes outward virtue (śīla, guṇa) and righteous action as the visible measure of inner refinement, which later supports spiritual pursuit in the Purāṇic framework.
No specific meditative technique is stated; instead, it highlights karma aligned with dharma—especially service and protection of life (gau-sevā)—as a foundational discipline that purifies conduct and supports higher yogic practice.
It does not directly mention Shiva or Vishnu; its teaching fits the Kurma Purana’s integrative ethic where devotion and yoga rest upon shared dharma—virtue, duty, and protection of the sacred (such as the cow).