Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 34
Sūrya-vaṃśa Genealogy and the Supremacy of Tapas: Gāyatrī-Japa, Rudra-Darśana, and Śatarudrīya Upadeśa
वसिष्ठ उवाच अधीत्य वेदान् विधिवत् पुत्रानुत्पाद्य धर्मतः / इष्ट्वा यज्ञेश्वरं यज्ञैर् गच्छेद वनमथात्मवान्
vasiṣṭha uvāca adhītya vedān vidhivat putrānutpādya dharmataḥ / iṣṭvā yajñeśvaraṃ yajñair gaccheda vanamathātmavān
Vasiṣṭha dit : Après avoir étudié les Veda selon la règle, engendré des fils conformément au dharma et adoré le Seigneur du sacrifice (Yajñeśvara) par les rites du yajña, l’homme maître de lui-même doit ensuite se retirer en forêt, en vānaprastha.
Vasiṣṭha
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
It implies that true spiritual progress requires ātmavat—inner mastery—so that after fulfilling Vedic and social duties, one turns inward toward Self-realization through disciplined life in the forest stage.
The verse foregrounds a dharmic progression: Vedic study and yajña purify the mind, and vanaprastha supports tapas, restraint, and contemplation—foundational disciplines that mature into the yoga-oriented teachings later emphasized in the Kurma Purana.
By naming the deity as Yajñeśvara (Īśvara presiding over yajña), it uses a unifying theological title compatible with both Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava readings, reflecting the Kurma Purana’s synthesis where the one Lord is approached through Vedic rite and yogic innerization.