Vānaprastha-Dharma: Forest Discipline, Vaikhānasa Austerities, and Śiva-Āśrama as the Liberative Refuge
निक्षिप्य भार्यां पुत्रेषु गच्छेद् वनमथापि वा / दृष्ट्वापत्यस्य चापत्यं जर्जरीकृतविग्रहः
nikṣipya bhāryāṃ putreṣu gacched vanamathāpi vā / dṛṣṭvāpatyasya cāpatyaṃ jarjarīkṛtavigrahaḥ
மனைவியை மகன்களிடம் ஒப்படைத்து அவன் வனத்திற்குச் செல்ல வேண்டும்; உடல் சிதைந்து, தன் பிள்ளைகளின் பிள்ளைகளைப் பார்த்தபின் வனவாழ்வான அடுத்த ஆசிரமத்திற்குத் திரும்ப வேண்டும்.
Traditional narrator in the Purva-bhāga teaching Varnāśrama-dharma (didactic passage within the Kurma Purana’s discourse)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Indirectly: by urging withdrawal from household identity after fulfilling duties, it points to loosening ego-based roles so one can pursue inner realization of the Self beyond family and social station.
The verse emphasizes the prerequisite of vairāgya (dispassion) and life-stage discipline—entering vānaprastha—supporting later sādhana such as japa, austerity, and contemplative practice found elsewhere in the Kurma Purana’s yoga-oriented teachings.
It does not explicitly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu; its contribution to the Kurma Purana’s synthesis is structural—establishing dharma-based renunciation as a shared foundation for devotion and yoga, whether framed in Śaiva (Pāśupata) or Vaiṣṇava terms.