Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 8
Varnāśrama-Krama, Vairāgya as the Ground of Saṃnyāsa, and Brahmārpaṇa Karma-yoga
वानप्रस्थाश्रमं गत्वा न गृहं प्रविशेत् पुनः / न संन्यासी वनं चाथ ब्रह्माचर्यं न साधकः
vānaprasthāśramaṃ gatvā na gṛhaṃ praviśet punaḥ / na saṃnyāsī vanaṃ cātha brahmācaryaṃ na sādhakaḥ
Setelah memasuki āśrama vānaprastha, janganlah kembali lagi ke rumah kehidupan berumah tangga. Demikian juga, seorang saṃnyāsin tidak patut kembali kepada cara hidup vānaprastha; dan seorang sādhaka tidak wajar meninggalkan disiplin yang sepatutnya lalu mundur ke tahap brahmacarya.
Lord Kūrma (Vishnu) instructing on dharma
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
Indirectly: it teaches steadiness (niṣṭhā) and non-regression in one’s vowed life, a prerequisite for inner purification by which realization of the Self becomes possible in the Kurma Purana’s dharmic-yogic framework.
The verse emphasizes āśrama-niyama—firm adherence to one’s chosen life-stage and discipline. In the Kurma Purana’s yoga-ethics, such stability supports tapas, sense-restraint, and sustained sādhana that later culminate in meditative absorption.
By presenting a shared dharmic foundation for liberation—ethical discipline and renunciation—this aligns with the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis: the same supreme teaching (whether framed through Śiva/Pāśupata or Viṣṇu/Kūrma) requires unwavering commitment to sādhana.