Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 4
Devadāru (Dāruvana) Forest: The Delusion of Ritual Pride, the Liṅga Crisis, and the Teaching of Jñāna–Pāśupata Yoga
तेषां प्रवृत्तिविन्यस्तचेतसामथ शूलधृक् / ख्यापयन् स महादोषं ययौ दारुवनं हरः
teṣāṃ pravṛttivinyastacetasāmatha śūladhṛk / khyāpayan sa mahādoṣaṃ yayau dāruvanaṃ haraḥ
Bấy giờ Hara, Đấng cầm cây tam xoa, thấy tâm họ đặt cả vào sự hành động hướng ngoại, liền đi đến rừng Daru để phơi bày cho họ lỗi lầm lớn ấy.
Narrator (Purāṇic narrator, traditionally Sūta conveying the account)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: raudra
FAQs
It implies that fixation on external pravṛtti (mere outward action) obscures higher realization; Shiva’s purpose is to reveal the inner defect so the seeker turns toward inward knowledge and disciplined yoga leading to Self-realization.
The verse points indirectly to the need for inner orientation—moving from outward ritual-obsession to yogic introspection, restraint, and devotion to the Lord (a Pāśupata-leaning corrective emphasized across the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva teaching sections).
By portraying Shiva as a compassionate teacher who corrects spiritual error, it supports the Kurma Purana’s broader synthesis: the same supreme divinity guides beings through different forms (Shiva/Vishnu) toward one liberating truth, not mere sectarian rivalry.