Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 30
Cosmic Manifestation, Mahāmāyā’s Mandate, Varṇāśrama-Dharma, and the Unity of the Trimūrti
या वेदबाह्याः स्मृतयो याश्च काश्च कुदृष्टयः / सर्वास्ता निष्फलाः प्रेत्यतमोनिष्ठाहिताः स्मृताः
yā vedabāhyāḥ smṛtayo yāśca kāśca kudṛṣṭayaḥ / sarvāstā niṣphalāḥ pretyatamoniṣṭhāhitāḥ smṛtāḥ
வேதப் பிரமாணத்துக்கு அப்பாற்பட்ட ஸ்மிருதிகளும், குதரிசனமான எந்தக் கோட்பாடுகளும்—அவை அனைத்தும் பயனற்றவை என அறிவிக்கப்படுகின்றன; மரணத்திற்குப் பின் அவை இருளான தமஸில் இட்டுச் செல்கின்றன, தமோகுணத்தில் நிலைத்தவை எனக் கூறப்படுவதால்।
Sage (narrator-teacher) instructing within the Kurma Purana’s Purva-bhaga dharma discourse (Veda as pramāṇa).
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
Indirectly: it insists that reliable knowledge leading beyond darkness must be grounded in Vedic pramāṇa; without right authority, views become “fruitless” and do not conduce to liberating Self-knowledge.
No single practice is named; the verse sets a prerequisite for yoga-sādhana—right view (samyag-dṛṣṭi) based on Veda. In the Kurma Purana’s broader yoga-dharma frame, practices like devotion and Pāśupata-oriented discipline must rest on correct doctrine, not Veda-external speculation.
By prioritizing Vedic authority over sectarian or Veda-external views, it supports the Purana’s integrative stance: Shaiva and Vaishnava paths are validated when aligned with Veda-based dharma, rather than opposed as separate, self-made doctrines.