Devadāru (Dāruvana) Forest: The Delusion of Ritual Pride, the Liṅga Crisis, and the Teaching of Jñāna–Pāśupata Yoga
भवन्तः केवलं योगं समाश्रित्य विमुक्तये / विहाय सांख्यं विमलमकुर्वन्त परिश्रमम्
bhavantaḥ kevalaṃ yogaṃ samāśritya vimuktaye / vihāya sāṃkhyaṃ vimalamakurvanta pariśramam
Os apoyasteis sólo en el Yoga en busca de liberación; al abandonar el Sāṃkhya puro e inmaculado, emprendisteis mero esfuerzo fatigoso.
Lord Kūrma (Vishnu) instructing the sages/seekers in a synthesizing teaching of Sāṃkhya and Yoga
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
It implies that liberation requires Sāṃkhya-style discrimination (viveka) between Self and non-Self; Yoga without this clarity becomes mere effort rather than direct realization of the Self’s distinctness from prakṛti.
The verse cautions against practicing Yoga in isolation; it points to a Kurma Purana approach where meditative discipline (yoga) must be guided by tattva-vicāra (Sāṃkhya inquiry) so concentration culminates in liberating knowledge rather than strain.
By endorsing a combined path of knowledge and disciplined practice—typical of the Kurma Purana’s synthesis—it reflects a non-sectarian, integrative framework often used to harmonize Shaiva (Pāśupata-oriented praxis) and Vaishnava (Nārāyaṇa/Kūrma as teacher) soteriology.