Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 101
Devadāru (Dāruvana) Forest: The Delusion of Ritual Pride, the Liṅga Crisis, and the Teaching of Jñāna–Pāśupata Yoga
क्वचिच्च हसते रौद्रं क्वचिद् गायति विस्मितः / क्वचिन्नृत्यति शृङ्गारी क्वचिद्रौति मुहुर्मुहुः
kvacicca hasate raudraṃ kvacid gāyati vismitaḥ / kvacinnṛtyati śṛṅgārī kvacidrauti muhurmuhuḥ
A veces ríe con un aire feroz y colérico; otras veces canta, atónito de asombro. Un momento danza, herido por el deseo amoroso; y una y otra vez prorrumpe en llanto.
Narrator/Sage describing the symptoms of mental disturbance (contextual didactic voice within the Purāṇic discourse)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
By contrasting rapid emotional swings—laughter, wrath, song, passion, and tears—the verse implies these are modifications of mind and guṇas, not the steady Ātman; the Self is understood as the witness beyond such changing states.
The verse points to the need for citta-nirodha (restraint of mental fluctuations) through yogic discipline—steadiness, detachment from rāga-dveṣa, and regulated conduct—central to the Kurma Purana’s practical spirituality aligned with Pāśupata-style self-control.
Indirectly: by emphasizing mastery over passion and agitation, it supports the Purāṇa’s shared Shaiva–Vaishnava ethic that devotion to Īśvara (whether spoken of as Śiva or Nārāyaṇa) culminates in inner steadiness rather than emotional turbulence.