Shloka 24
Vānaprastha-Dharma: Forest Discipline, Vaikhānasa Austerities, and Śiva-Āśrama as the Liberative Refuge
नक्तं चान्न समश्नीयाद् दिवा चाहृत्य शक्तितः / चतुर्थकालिको वा स्यात् स्याद्वाप्यष्टमकालिकः
naktaṃ cānna samaśnīyād divā cāhṛtya śaktitaḥ / caturthakāliko vā syāt syādvāpyaṣṭamakālikaḥ
அவன் இரவில் அன்னம் உண்ணக்கூடாது; பகலில் தன் வல்லமைக்கேற்ப உணவைச் சேர்த்து, நாளின் நான்காம் காலத்தில் உண்ணலாம்; அல்லது எட்டாம் காலத்தில் உண்ணும் விரதியாகவும் இருக்கலாம்.
Traditional attribution: a teaching voice within the Purāṇic dialogue (instructional discourse to the inquirer), aligned with Kurma Purana’s dharma-yoga injunctions
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
Indirectly: by prescribing restraint over appetite and time, it supports inner mastery (indriya-nigraha), a prerequisite for steady contemplation in which the Self is realized beyond bodily cravings.
A practical niyama of āhāra-niyama (regulated diet and timing): do not eat at night; obtain food by day within one’s means; adopt measured meal-timing (caturtha-kālika or the more austere aṣṭama-kālika), strengthening tapas and meditation-readiness.
Not by naming them, but through shared sādhanā principles: the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis often expresses unity through common yogic disciplines—restraint, tapas, and dharma—accepted across both Śaiva (including Pāśupata) and Vaiṣṇava streams.