Shloka 21
Narmadā-māhātmya: Amarakāṇṭaka, Jāleśvara, Kapilā–Viśalyakaraṇī, and the Supreme Purifying Power of Darśana
अग्निप्रवेशे ऽथ जले अथवानशने कृते / अनिवर्तिका गतिस्तस्य पवनस्याम्बरे यथा
agnipraveśe 'tha jale athavānaśane kṛte / anivartikā gatistasya pavanasyāmbare yathā
មិនថាចូលទៅក្នុងភ្លើង ឬចូលទៅក្នុងទឹក ឬធ្វើមរណភាពដោយអត់អាហារ ការធ្វើដំណើររបស់ព្រលឹងដង្ហើមនោះមិនអាចត្រឡប់វិញបាន ដូចខ្យល់ដែលហូរឆ្លងមេឃ។
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing in a dharma-yoga discourse context
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
Indirectly: it distinguishes the moving life-breath (prāṇa/pavana), whose trajectory becomes fixed once death is deliberately undertaken, from the deeper Self (Ātman), which is not described as perishing here—implying the teaching focus is on prāṇa’s irreversible departure rather than Ātman’s destruction.
It emphasizes prāṇa-discipline and the seriousness of deliberate life-ending vows (like anāśana). In a yoga-śāstra frame, it warns that once the prāṇa is propelled toward exit, it does not “return,” underscoring careful adherence to dharma, vrata, and regulated practice rather than impulsive extremes.
The verse itself is neutral, but within the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis it supports a shared yogic-dharma principle: the Lord’s teaching (whether framed through Vishnu as Kurma or aligned with Shaiva yoga ethics) stresses prāṇa, vrata, and karmic consequence as universally binding spiritual law.