Cosmic Manifestation, Mahāmāyā’s Mandate, Varṇāśrama-Dharma, and the Unity of the Trimūrti
दानमध्ययनं यज्ञो धर्मः क्षत्रियवैश्ययोः / दण्डो युद्धं क्षत्रियस्य कृषिर्वैश्यस्य शस्यते
dānamadhyayanaṃ yajño dharmaḥ kṣatriyavaiśyayoḥ / daṇḍo yuddhaṃ kṣatriyasya kṛṣirvaiśyasya śasyate
สำหรับกษัตริย์และไวศยะ ทาน การศึกษาพระเวท และยัญ เป็นธรรมร่วมกัน. สำหรับกษัตริย์ทรงไว้ซึ่งทัณฑ์และการศึก; สำหรับไวศยะ กสิกรรมเป็นที่สรรเสริญยิ่ง.
Lord Kūrma (Vishnu) instructing sages on varnashrama-dharma
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
This verse does not directly define Ātman; it frames spiritual life through dharma—yajña, dāna, and adhyayana—disciplines that purify the mind and make higher knowledge of the Self possible in the Purāṇic path.
No specific yoga technique is named; the verse emphasizes karma-yoga-like disciplines (sacrifice, study, charity) and role-based duty, which in the Kūrma Purāṇa function as preparatory purification supporting later Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis and Pāśupata-oriented sādhanā.
It does not explicitly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu; it presents a shared dharma structure where ritual, study, and ethical governance are upheld as universal supports for devotion and liberation across sectarian lines in the Kūrma Purāṇa.