Prāyaścitta for Theft, Forbidden Foods, Impurity, and Ritual Lapses; Tīrtha–Vrata Remedies; Pativratā Mahātmyam via Sītā and Agni
व्यास उवाच इत्येष मानवो धर्मो युष्माकं कथितो मया / महेशाराधनार्थाय ज्ञानयोगं च शाश्वतम्
vyāsa uvāca ityeṣa mānavo dharmo yuṣmākaṃ kathito mayā / maheśārādhanārthāya jñānayogaṃ ca śāśvatam
വ്യാസൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഇങ്ങനെ ഞാൻ നിങ്ങളോട് മാനവധർമ്മം ഉപദേശിച്ചു; മഹേശൻ (ശിവൻ) ആരാധനയ്ക്കും പ്രസാദത്തിനുമായി ശാശ്വതമായ ജ്ഞാനയോഗവും പറഞ്ഞു.
Vyasa
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
By pairing mānava-dharma with “eternal jñāna-yoga,” the verse points to liberation through knowledge: right conduct matures into inner discernment that realizes the abiding Self beyond transient action.
The verse explicitly highlights jñāna-yoga—discipline of liberating knowledge—presented as a śāśvata (perennial) means, and framed as supportive of Maheśa-ārādhana, i.e., devotion expressed through contemplative insight.
Though Vyāsa speaks within the Kurma Purana’s Vaiṣṇava frame, he directs the teaching toward Maheśa’s worship, reflecting the text’s non-sectarian synthesis where devotion and knowledge culminate in the same Supreme reality honored as Śiva.