Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 36
Dvīpa-Varṣa Vibhāga and the Priyavrata–Agnīdhra Lineage
Cosmic Geography and Royal Succession
तपसा कर्षितो ऽत्यर्थं कृशो धमनिसंततः / ज्ञानयोगरतो भूत्वा महापाशुपतो ऽभवत्
tapasā karṣito 'tyarthaṃ kṛśo dhamanisaṃtataḥ / jñānayogarato bhūtvā mahāpāśupato 'bhavat
Épuisé à l’extrême par l’austérité, il devint émacié, les veines saillantes. Et, voué au Yoga de la connaissance (jñāna-yoga), il atteignit l’état de Mahā-Pāśupata, le suprême dévot-réalisateur de Paśupati, Śiva.
Narrator (Purāṇic narrator describing the ascetic’s transformation within the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
By stressing jñāna-yoga (the discipline of liberating knowledge), the verse implies that realization—not mere bodily austerity—is decisive; tapas purifies and concentrates, while knowledge culminates in the highest spiritual attainment.
Two linked disciplines are highlighted: (1) tapas—intense ascetic practice that refines the body-mind, and (2) jñāna-yoga—steady contemplation and discernment leading to realization; together they mature into the Pāśupata ideal of devotion and inner union with Paśupati (Śiva).
While explicitly naming the Pāśupata attainment (Śiva-centered), it occurs inside a Purāṇa known for Shaiva–Vaishnava harmony, where supreme realization can be framed through either Śiva (Paśupati) or Viṣṇu (Kurma) without sectarian contradiction.