Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 126
Prākṛta-pralaya, Pratisarga Doctrine, and the Ishvara-Samanvaya of Yoga and Devotion
ततः स्वर्गात् परिभ्रष्टो विप्राणां जायते कुले / पूर्वसंस्कारमाहात्म्याद् ब्रह्मविद्यामवाप्नुयात्
tataḥ svargāt paribhraṣṭo viprāṇāṃ jāyate kule / pūrvasaṃskāramāhātmyād brahmavidyāmavāpnuyāt
Rồi khi hết phước trời mà trở lại, người ấy sinh trong dòng họ Bà-la-môn; nhờ oai lực của các chủng tử nghiệp xưa (saṃskāra), liền đạt được Phạm tri (brahma-vidyā).
Lord Kūrma (Vishnu) instructing the sages/seekers in a dharma–jñāna context
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It implies that brahma-vidyā—knowledge of the Supreme reality (Brahman/Ātman)—is not accidental: it arises from prior inner formation (saṃskāra) carried across births, culminating in liberating realization.
The verse points to saṃskāra as the engine of spiritual continuity—i.e., repeated discipline (abhyāsa), study, contemplation, and devotion performed earlier mature later into brahma-vidyā, aligning with Kurma Purana’s yoga-oriented path to jñāna.
Indirectly: it frames liberation as brahma-vidyā beyond sectarian identity—consistent with the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis where the Supreme teaching (Ishvara-tattva) is one, though approached through different devotional-yogic modes.