Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 1
Varnāśrama-Krama, Vairāgya as the Ground of Saṃnyāsa, and Brahmārpaṇa Karma-yoga
इति श्रीकूर्मपुराणे षट्साहस्त्र्यां संहितायां पूर्वविभागे द्वितीयो ऽध्यायः ऋषय ऊचुः वर्णा भगवतोद्दिष्टाश्चत्वारो ऽप्याश्रमास्तथा / इदानीं क्रममस्माकमाश्रमाणां वद प्रभो
iti śrīkūrmapurāṇe ṣaṭsāhastryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ pūrvavibhāge dvitīyo 'dhyāyaḥ ṛṣaya ūcuḥ varṇā bhagavatoddiṣṭāścatvāro 'pyāśramāstathā / idānīṃ kramamasmākamāśramāṇāṃ vada prabho
یوں شری کورم پران کی شٹ ساہستری سنہتا کے پوروَ بھاگ میں دوسرا ادھیائے ختم ہوا۔ رشیوں نے کہا—بھگوان نے چار ورن اور اسی طرح چار آشرم بتائے ہیں؛ اب، اے پرڀو، ہمارے آشرموں کا ترتیب وار بیان فرمائیے۔
The sages (Ṛṣayaḥ)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
This verse does not directly define Ātman; it frames the sages’ dharmic inquiry, requesting the Lord to teach the ordered discipline of the āśramas—an outer framework that, in the Purāṇic vision, supports inner purification leading toward Self-knowledge.
No specific yogic technique is described in this verse. It introduces the topic of āśrama-dharma, within which later teachings typically situate practices like brahmacarya, vows (vrata), austerity (tapas), and contemplative discipline as supports for spiritual realization.
The verse does not explicitly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu; it addresses “Bhagavān” as the authoritative teacher of dharma. In the Kūrma Purāṇa’s broader synthesis, such instruction is presented as consistent with both Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava paths, integrating social-dharmic order with liberation-oriented practice.