Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 57
Cosmic Manifestation, Mahāmāyā’s Mandate, Varṇāśrama-Dharma, and the Unity of the Trimūrti
य एवं वेद धर्मार्थकाममोक्षस्य मानवः / माहात्म्यं चानुतिष्ठेत स चानन्त्याय कल्पते
ya evaṃ veda dharmārthakāmamokṣasya mānavaḥ / māhātmyaṃ cānutiṣṭheta sa cānantyāya kalpate
Barangsiapa memahami ajaran tentang dharma, artha, kāma, dan mokṣa, serta menjalani kemuliaan suci ini, ia menjadi layak mencapai keadaan yang tak berkesudahan dan abadi.
Suta (narrating the Kurma Purana’s teaching as received from the sages)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
By promising “ānantya” (endlessness/imperishability) to the knower-practitioner, the verse points to liberation as entry into the deathless, unbounded reality that transcends finite aims—an Upanishadic marker of the Atman/Brahman state.
The verse emphasizes anutiṣṭhāna—disciplined observance and lived practice—rather than mere study. In Kurma Purana’s idiom this aligns with yoga-sādhana grounded in dharma (ethical restraint), devotion, and regulated conduct that matures into mokṣa.
Though not naming them explicitly, the teaching reflects the Purana’s synthesis: liberation comes from knowing the puruṣārthas and practicing the praised sacred path (māhātmya) endorsed across Shaiva–Vaishnava frameworks, where right observance culminates in the imperishable goal.