Shloka 6
Gṛhastha Livelihood, Āpad-dharma, and Sacrificial Stewardship of Wealth
तेन चावाप्यजीवंस्तु वैश्यवृत्तिं कृषिं व्रजेत् / न कथञ्चन कुर्वोत ब्राह्मणः कर्म कर्षणम्
tena cāvāpyajīvaṃstu vaiśyavṛttiṃ kṛṣiṃ vrajet / na kathañcana kurvota brāhmaṇaḥ karma karṣaṇam
Jika dengan cara itu pun seseorang masih tidak memperoleh sara hidup, maka bolehlah mengambil cara hidup Vaiśya, iaitu pertanian. Namun seorang Brāhmaṇa tidak patut sama sekali melakukan kerja membajak, dalam apa jua keadaan.
Lord Kūrma (Viṣṇu) instructing on dharma
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: raudra
FAQs
This verse does not directly define Ātman; it frames dharma as a prerequisite discipline—right livelihood and restraint—supporting the inner purity typically required for realizing the Self in later yogic and theological teachings of the Purāṇa.
No specific āsana or meditation is taught here; the verse highlights yama-like ethical discipline through varṇāśrama-appropriate livelihood, which the Kurma Purāṇa treats as foundational conduct that stabilizes the mind for higher yoga and devotion.
The verse is primarily a dharma injunction and does not mention Śiva–Viṣṇu explicitly; within the Kurma Purāṇa’s synthesis, such dharma-guidance is presented as a unified divine instruction supporting both Vaiṣṇava devotion and Śaiva/Pāśupata-oriented spiritual discipline.