Cosmic Manifestation, Mahāmāyā’s Mandate, Varṇāśrama-Dharma, and the Unity of the Trimūrti
ज्ञानसंन्यासिनः केचिद् वेदसंन्यासिनो ऽपरे / कर्मसन्यासिनः केचित् त्रिविधाः परामेष्ठिकाः
jñānasaṃnyāsinaḥ kecid vedasaṃnyāsino 'pare / karmasanyāsinaḥ kecit trividhāḥ parāmeṣṭhikāḥ
ചിലർ ജ്ഞാനനിഷ്ഠ സന്ന്യാസികൾ, ചിലർ വൈദിക കർമകാണ്ഡം ഉപേക്ഷിച്ച സന്ന്യാസികൾ, ചിലർ കർമം തന്നെയുപേക്ഷിച്ച സന്ന്യാസികൾ—ഇങ്ങനെ പാരമേഷ്ഠിക സന്ന്യാസികൾ മൂന്നു തരമാണ്.
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing King Indradyumna
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
By privileging jñāna-saṃnyāsa, the verse implies liberation is rooted in direct spiritual knowledge rather than mere ritual performance, aligning renunciation with realization of the Self beyond action.
The verse frames the Ishvara Gita’s yogic thrust as renunciation-based practice: withdrawing from ritual fixation (veda-saṃnyāsa), reducing doership (karma-saṃnyāsa), and stabilizing in liberating insight (jñāna-saṃnyāsa), which supports meditative absorption and Pashupata-style inner discipline.
Though not naming Shiva directly, the teaching reflects the Kurma Purana’s synthesis: Vishnu as Kurma teaches a renunciatory, yoga-centered path compatible with Shaiva/Pashupata emphases, presenting a shared soteriology rather than sectarian opposition.