Shloka 17
Saṃnyāsa-dharma — Qualifications, Threefold Renunciation, and the Conduct of the Yati
रागद्वेषविमुक्तात्मा समलोष्टाश्मकाञ्चनः / प्राणिहंसानिवृत्तश्च मौनी स्यात् सर्वनिस्पृहः
rāgadveṣavimuktātmā samaloṣṭāśmakāñcanaḥ / prāṇihaṃsānivṛttaśca maunī syāt sarvanispṛhaḥ
Libre au cœur de l’attachement et de l’aversion, tenant pour égaux une motte de terre, une pierre et l’or; retiré de toute atteinte aux êtres vivants; établi dans le silence et la retenue de la parole—un tel homme devient entièrement sans désir.
Lord Kūrma (Viṣṇu) instructing the sages/Indradyumna in a Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis of Yoga and renunciation
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It describes the liberated inner state: the ātman is steady and free from rāga-dveṣa, expressing itself as equanimity toward pleasure-objects (even gold) and as desirelessness (nispṛhatā).
It highlights core yogic restraints aligned with Pāśupata-leaning discipline: vairāgya (freedom from attachment/aversion), ahiṃsā (non-harming), and mauna (silence/regulated speech) as supports for inner absorption and liberation.
Though spoken in a Vaiṣṇava voice (Kūrma), the virtues taught—ahiṃsā, mauna, and equanimity—are shared yogic ideals central to Śaiva Pāśupata and Vaiṣṇava mokṣa paths, reflecting the Purāṇa’s non-sectarian synthesis.