Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 61
Cosmic Manifestation, Mahāmāyā’s Mandate, Varṇāśrama-Dharma, and the Unity of the Trimūrti
प्रवृत्तं च निवृत्तं च द्विविधं कर्म वैदिकम् / ज्ञानपूर्वं निवृत्तं स्यात् प्रवृत्तं यदतो ऽन्यथा
pravṛttaṃ ca nivṛttaṃ ca dvividhaṃ karma vaidikam / jñānapūrvaṃ nivṛttaṃ syāt pravṛttaṃ yadato 'nyathā
ویدک عمل دو قسم کے ہیں: پرورتّی اور نِورتّی۔ جو سچے علم کے پیش رو ہو وہ نِورتّی ہے؛ اور جو اس کے برخلاف ہو وہ پرورتّی کہلاتا ہے۔
Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing on Dharma and the two paths (pravṛtti–nivṛtti)
Primary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
By defining nivṛtti as action grounded in jñāna, the verse implies that liberation-oriented living depends on insight into the Self (ātma-jñāna), not merely on external renunciation; knowledge is the decisive principle that turns life toward the Supreme.
The verse foregrounds jñāna as the prerequisite for nivṛtti, aligning with Yoga-shāstra themes: inner discernment (viveka), dispassion (vairāgya), and contemplative absorption that makes withdrawal from karmic compulsion meaningful—an orientation later echoed in Kurma Purana’s Pāśupata-leaning soteriology.
While not naming Śiva explicitly, it presents a shared purāṇic framework where knowledge-led renunciation (nivṛtti) is the higher means—harmonizing Vaiṣṇava and Śaiva paths by prioritizing jñāna and mokṣa over mere ritual engagement.