Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 25
Karma-yoga Discipline for the Twice-born: Upanayana, Upavīta Conduct, Guru-veneration, and Alms-regimen
ब्राह्मणं कुशलं पृच्छेत् क्षत्रबन्धुमनामयम् / वैश्यं क्षेमं समागम्य शूद्रमारोग्यमेव तु
brāhmaṇaṃ kuśalaṃ pṛcchet kṣatrabandhumanāmayam / vaiśyaṃ kṣemaṃ samāgamya śūdramārogyameva tu
બ્રાહ્મણને ‘કુશળ’ પૂછવું; ક્ષત્રિયને ‘અનામય’ (કષ્ટરહિત) પૂછવું; વૈશ્યને મળીને ‘ક્ષેમ’ (સુરક્ષા-સમૃદ્ધિ) પૂછવું; અને શૂદ્રને માત્ર ‘આરોગ્ય’ જ પૂછવું।
Lord Kūrma (Viṣṇu) instructing on dharma and social etiquette within varṇāśrama
Primary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
Indirectly: it frames dharmic conduct (right speech and inquiry) as a foundational discipline that steadies the mind—an outer order that supports inner pursuit of the Self taught elsewhere in the Kurma Purana.
No technique is taught directly; the verse emphasizes yama-like ethical culture—courteous, appropriate inquiry aligned with varṇāśrama—supporting the mental purity required for higher practices such as Pāśupata-oriented devotion, japa, and contemplation described in later teachings.
It does so implicitly: dharma is presented as a universal framework upheld by the Purana’s integrated Śaiva-Vaiṣṇava vision, where devotion and discipline—whether oriented to Śiva or Viṣṇu—rest on shared ethical order.