Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 38
Durjaya, Urvaśī, and the Expiation at Vārāṇasī
Genealogy and Sin-Removal through Viśveśvara
संवत्सरद्वादशकं कन्दमूलफलाशनः / भूय एव द्वादशकं वायुभक्षो ऽभवन्नृपः
saṃvatsaradvādaśakaṃ kandamūlaphalāśanaḥ / bhūya eva dvādaśakaṃ vāyubhakṣo 'bhavannṛpaḥ
Selama dua belas tahun raja hidup dengan memakan umbisi, akar dan buah-buahan; kemudian dua belas tahun lagi baginda menjadi orang yang hanya bersandar pada udara sebagai santapan.
Narrator (Purāṇic narrator describing King Indradyumna’s tapas)
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
By depicting progressive renunciation—moving from minimal food to living on prāṇa (air)—the verse points to the Atman as independent of bodily cravings, approached through detachment and austerity.
It highlights tapas as a yogic discipline: regulated diet (mitāhāra), gradual withdrawal from sensory dependence, and prāṇa-centered endurance—elements that align with Purāṇic Yoga and the Pāśupata-leaning emphasis on self-restraint.
While not naming Shiva or Vishnu directly, the tapas-ideal is shared across Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis in the Kurma Purana: disciplined renunciation is presented as a common means toward the one Supreme Reality revered through multiple divine forms.