Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 22
Varnāśrama-Krama, Vairāgya as the Ground of Saṃnyāsa, and Brahmārpaṇa Karma-yoga
कर्मणा क्षीयते पापमैहिकं पौर्विकं तथा / मनः प्रसादमन्वेति ब्रह्म विज्ञायते ततः
karmaṇā kṣīyate pāpamaihikaṃ paurvikaṃ tathā / manaḥ prasādamanveti brahma vijñāyate tataḥ
Par l’action juste, le péché s’use—celui né en cette vie comme celui porté du passé. Alors vient la sérénité du mental, et de là Brahman est réellement réalisé.
Lord Kūrma (Vishnu) instructing the seeker within a dharma-yoga framework
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
It implies that realization of Brahman (the Supreme Self) is not forced by mere theory; it dawns when karmic impurity is attenuated and the mind becomes serene (manaḥ-prasāda), enabling direct knowledge.
It highlights karma-yoga as a purificatory discipline: performing dharmic action to exhaust pāpa (both present-life and past-life), which produces mental clarity (prasāda). That purified mind becomes fit for contemplation and knowledge of Brahman.
Indirectly, it reflects the Purana’s synthesis: liberation is presented as a shared yogic principle—purification through dharma and inner clarity culminating in Brahman-realization—compatible with both Shaiva (Pāśupata) and Vaishnava (Nārāyaṇa) soteriology.