Shloka 21
Vānaprastha-Dharma: Forest Discipline, Vaikhānasa Austerities, and Śiva-Āśrama as the Liberative Refuge
सद्यः प्रक्षालको वा स्यान्माससंचयिको ऽपि वा / षण्मासनिचयो वा स्यात् समानिचय एव वा
sadyaḥ prakṣālako vā syānmāsasaṃcayiko 'pi vā / ṣaṇmāsanicayo vā syāt samānicaya eva vā
เขาอาจเป็นผู้ชำระล้างทันที หรือเป็นผู้สะสมไว้หนึ่งเดือน; หรือสะสมไว้หกเดือน หรือแม้สะสมไว้ครบหนึ่งปีก็ได้
Traditional Purāṇic narrator (instructional discourse within the Kurma Purana’s dharma section; framed as authoritative teaching attributed to the Purāṇa’s sages)
Primary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
This verse does not directly define Ātman; it supports the dharmic foundation—purity and disciplined expiation—considered preparatory for inner clarity that later enables stable knowledge of the Self in the Kurma Purana’s broader teaching.
No specific meditation technique is stated; the verse emphasizes śauca (purificatory discipline) and regulated prāyaścitta timing (immediate, monthly, semiannual, annual), which function as supportive observances that stabilize conduct and mind—an auxiliary to Yoga-oriented life in the Purāṇa.
It does not explicitly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu; indirectly, it reflects the Kurma Purana’s synthesis by grounding spiritual pursuit in shared dharmic disciplines (purity/expiation) that underpin both Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava sādhanā frameworks.