Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 33
Sūrya-vaṃśa Genealogy and the Supremacy of Tapas: Gāyatrī-Japa, Rudra-Darśana, and Śatarudrīya Upadeśa
वसुमना उवाच किंस्विच्छेयस्करतरं लोके ऽस्मिन् ब्राह्मणर्षभाः / यज्ञस्तपो वा संन्यासो ब्रूत मे सर्ववेदिनः
vasumanā uvāca kiṃsviccheyaskarataraṃ loke 'smin brāhmaṇarṣabhāḥ / yajñastapo vā saṃnyāso brūta me sarvavedinaḥ
วสุมะนาตรัสว่า “โอ พราหมณ์ผู้ประเสริฐ ในโลกนี้สิ่งใดเกื้อกูลต่อความเกษมยิ่งกว่า—ยัญ พรตตบะ หรือสันนยาส? โอ ผู้รู้พระเวททั้งปวง โปรดบอกแก่ข้าพเจ้า”
Vasumanā
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
This verse does not define Ātman directly; it frames a dharmic inquiry into śreyas (the highest good), setting up later teaching where inner discipline (tapas/saṁnyāsa) and right action (yajña) are evaluated as means toward liberation-oriented wisdom.
No specific Yoga technique is named, but “tapas” and “saṁnyāsa” point to yogic disciplines—self-restraint, austerity, and renunciant focus—often treated in the Kurma Purana as supports for inner purification that culminate in devotion and knowledge.
The verse itself is neutral and interrogative; by asking about yajña, tapas, and saṁnyāsa, it aligns with the Kurma Purana’s broader Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis where both ritual devotion and ascetic-yogic paths are integrated under a single pursuit of śreyas.