Shloka 25
Karma-yoga Discipline for the Twice-born: Upanayana, Upavīta Conduct, Guru-veneration, and Alms-regimen
ब्राह्मणं कुशलं पृच्छेत् क्षत्रबन्धुमनामयम् / वैश्यं क्षेमं समागम्य शूद्रमारोग्यमेव तु
brāhmaṇaṃ kuśalaṃ pṛcchet kṣatrabandhumanāmayam / vaiśyaṃ kṣemaṃ samāgamya śūdramārogyameva tu
బ్రాహ్మణుని ‘కుశలమా’ అని అడగాలి; క్షత్రియుని ‘అనామయమా’ (కష్టరహితమా) అని అడగాలి; వైశ్యుని కలిసినప్పుడు ‘క్షేమమా’ (సురక్ష-సమృద్ధి) అని విచారించాలి; శూద్రుని మాత్రం ‘ఆరోగ్యమా’ అని మాత్రమే అడగాలి।
Lord Kūrma (Viṣṇu) instructing on dharma and social etiquette within varṇāśrama
Primary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
Indirectly: it frames dharmic conduct (right speech and inquiry) as a foundational discipline that steadies the mind—an outer order that supports inner pursuit of the Self taught elsewhere in the Kurma Purana.
No technique is taught directly; the verse emphasizes yama-like ethical culture—courteous, appropriate inquiry aligned with varṇāśrama—supporting the mental purity required for higher practices such as Pāśupata-oriented devotion, japa, and contemplation described in later teachings.
It does so implicitly: dharma is presented as a universal framework upheld by the Purana’s integrated Śaiva-Vaiṣṇava vision, where devotion and discipline—whether oriented to Śiva or Viṣṇu—rest on shared ethical order.