Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 9
Vānaprastha-Dharma: Forest Discipline, Vaikhānasa Austerities, and Śiva-Āśrama as the Liberative Refuge
दर्शेन पौर्णमासेन यजेत् नियतं द्विजः / ऋक्षेष्वाग्रयणे चैव चातुर्मास्यानि चाहरेत् / उत्तरायणं च क्रमशो दक्षस्यायनमेव च
darśena paurṇamāsena yajet niyataṃ dvijaḥ / ṛkṣeṣvāgrayaṇe caiva cāturmāsyāni cāharet / uttarāyaṇaṃ ca kramaśo dakṣasyāyanameva ca
El dvija disciplinado debe celebrar regularmente los sacrificios Darśa y Paurṇamāsa en luna nueva y luna llena. Debe también realizar el rito de Āgrayaṇa en los asterismos apropiados y observar las ofrendas estacionales del Cāturmāsya. Asimismo, en su debido orden, ha de cumplir los ritos del curso septentrional del Sol (Uttarāyaṇa) y del curso meridional (Dakṣiṇāyana).
Traditional narrator (Purāṇic instruction within a dharma-teaching frame; commonly transmitted via Sūta/Vyāsa lineage)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
Indirectly: it emphasizes niyama (disciplined order) in dharma—regular yajña and seasonal rites—which the Kurma Purana treats as a purifying foundation that prepares the mind for higher knowledge of the Self taught elsewhere (including the Ishvara Gita section).
The verse highlights karmayoga-like discipline through Vedic observances—Darśa–Paurṇamāsa, Āgrayaṇa, Cāturmāsya, and ayana rites—presented as regulated practice (niyata) that steadies conduct and supports inner purification, a prerequisite for Pāśupata-oriented spiritual progress in the Kurma Purana.
It does so by synthesis rather than explicit naming: the Kurma Purana commonly frames Vedic yajña-dharma as compatible with devotion and liberation-teachings associated with both Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava streams, showing a unified path where disciplined ritual life supports the same ultimate spiritual goal.