Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 49
Karma-yoga Discipline for the Twice-born: Upanayana, Upavīta Conduct, Guru-veneration, and Alms-regimen
विद्या कर्म वयो बन्धुर्वित्तं भवति पञ्चमम् / मान्यस्थानानि पञ्चाहुः पूर्वं पूर्वं गुरूत्तरात्
vidyā karma vayo bandhurvittaṃ bhavati pañcamam / mānyasthānāni pañcāhuḥ pūrvaṃ pūrvaṃ gurūttarāt
El saber, la recta conducta (karma), la edad, el parentesco y la riqueza se dicen los cinco fundamentos del honor. Entre estos cinco, cada uno de los anteriores debe tenerse por más grave y digno de precedencia que el que le sigue.
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing on dharma and social order
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
It does not directly define Ātman; it lays a dharmic hierarchy of respect, implying that inner refinement through knowledge and right conduct is superior to external markers like lineage and wealth.
No specific yogic technique is named, but the prioritizing of vidyā and karma aligns with the Kurma Purana’s broader discipline: purification through right understanding and ethical action as a foundation for higher yoga (including Pāśupata-oriented practice).
The verse is primarily ethical rather than sectarian; in the Kurma Purana’s synthetic outlook, such dharma-teachings function as a shared groundwork upon which both Shaiva (Pāśupata) and Vaishnava devotion and realization are built.