Devadāru (Dāruvana) Forest: The Delusion of Ritual Pride, the Liṅga Crisis, and the Teaching of Jñāna–Pāśupata Yoga
संप्राप्य पुण्यसंस्कारान्निधीनां परमं निधिम् / उपेक्षितं वृथाचारैर्भवद्भिरिह मोहितैः
saṃprāpya puṇyasaṃskārānnidhīnāṃ paramaṃ nidhim / upekṣitaṃ vṛthācārairbhavadbhiriha mohitaiḥ
แม้ได้บรรลุ “ขุมทรัพย์สูงสุดเหนือขุมทรัพย์ทั้งปวง” ด้วยสังสการแห่งบุญแล้ว แต่พวกท่านผู้หลงมัวเมาในโลกนี้กลับละเลยมัน เพราะมัวประพฤติสิ่งไร้สาระและไร้ผล
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing Indradyumna and the sages in a didactic, yoga-dharma context
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
It frames the highest spiritual attainment as the “supreme treasure” already accessible through purified saṃskāras—implying that Self-realization is the true wealth, yet it is overlooked when one is deluded by worldly patterns.
The verse warns against vṛthācāra—ineffective or merely external religiosity—thus implying the Kurma Purana’s yoga emphasis on inner purification, right discernment (viveka), and disciplined practice aimed at direct realization rather than empty ritualism.
By teaching the same highest “parama nidhि” sought in Shaiva and Vaishnava paths, it reflects the Purana’s synthetic stance: the supreme reality taught by Kurma (Vishnu) aligns with the liberating knowledge also upheld in Shaiva/Pashupata-oriented instruction.