Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 11
Varnāśrama-Krama, Vairāgya as the Ground of Saṃnyāsa, and Brahmārpaṇa Karma-yoga
सर्वेषामेव वैराग्यं संन्यासाय विधीयते / पतत्येवाविरक्तो यः संन्यासं कर्तुमिच्छति
sarveṣāmeva vairāgyaṃ saṃnyāsāya vidhīyate / patatyevāvirakto yaḥ saṃnyāsaṃ kartumicchati
Pour tous, le vairāgya (détachement) est prescrit comme base essentielle du saṃnyāsa. Celui qui n’a pas le vairāgya et pourtant veut entreprendre le saṃnyāsa, tombe assurément.
Lord Kūrma (Vishnu) instructing the sages (Kurma Purana didactic discourse)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
By insisting on vairāgya as the prerequisite for saṃnyāsa, the verse implies that realization is inward: the Atman is approached through freedom from craving and possessiveness, not merely by adopting an outer monastic role.
The verse foregrounds the yogic discipline of vairāgya—steady dispassion and restraint of desire—as the foundation that makes renunciation fruitful, aligning with Purāṇic Yoga where inner purification precedes higher contemplation.
Indirectly, it reflects the Kurma Purana’s synthetic stance: whether framed in Vaiṣṇava or Pāśupata-Śaiva idiom, genuine renunciation is defined by inner detachment, a shared soteriological principle rather than sectarian identity.