Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 37

Cosmic Manifestation, Mahāmāyā’s Mandate, Varṇāśrama-Dharma, and the Unity of the Trimūrti

Devanagari script

दानमध्ययनं यज्ञो धर्मः क्षत्रियवैश्ययोः / दण्डो युद्धं क्षत्रियस्य कृषिर्वैश्यस्य शस्यते

Transliteration

dānamadhyayanaṃ yajño dharmaḥ kṣatriyavaiśyayoḥ / daṇḍo yuddhaṃ kṣatriyasya kṛṣirvaiśyasya śasyate

Translation

للكشاتريا والفيشيا تُشرَع الصدقةُ ودراسةُ الفيدا وإقامةُ اليَجْنَة كواجبات دينية مشتركة. وللكشاتريا يُؤمَر بحمل العصا التأديبية وإدارة الحرب؛ وللفيشيا تُستحسن الزراعة على وجه الخصوص.

Word by Word

• dānam: giving
• dānam: Viśeṣya (विषय/Item in enumeration)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुṃsaka, Prathamā, Ekavacana; item in enumeration

• adhyayanam: studying
• adhyayanam: Viśeṣya (विषय/Item in enumeration)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhyayana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुṃsaka, Prathamā, Ekavacana; item in enumeration

• yajñaḥ: sacrifice
• yajñaḥ: Viśeṣya (विषय/Item in enumeration)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; item in enumeration

• dharmaḥ: duty, dharma
• dharmaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject) (of implied 'is/are')
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; collective predicate

• kṣatriya-vaiśyayoḥ: of the Kshatriya and the Vaishya
• kṣatriya-vaiśyayoḥ: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठी/Genitival relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣatriya (प्रातिपदिक) + vaiśya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī, Dvivacana (Dual); dvandva: kṣatriyaś ca vaiśyaś ca

• daṇḍaḥ: punishment, rod (authority)
• daṇḍaḥ: Viśeṣya (विषय/Item in enumeration)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; item in enumeration

• yuddham: war, battle
• yuddham: Viśeṣya (विषय/Item in enumeration)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuddha (प्रातिपदिक; from yudh धातु)
• Form: Napुṃsaka, Prathamā, Ekavacana; item in enumeration

• kṣatriyasya: of the Kshatriya
• kṣatriyasya: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठी/Genitival relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣatriya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī, Ekavacana

• kṛṣiḥ: agriculture, farming
• kṛṣiḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject) (of 'śasyate')
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक; from kṛṣ धातु)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; item in enumeration

• vaiśyasya: of the Vaishya
• vaiśyasya: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठी/Genitival relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaiśya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī, Ekavacana

• śasyate: is praised/commended
• śasyate: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śaṃs (धातु) / śas (धातु) (as ‘to praise/commend’)
• Form: Laṭ (Present), Prathama-puruṣa, Ekavacana; ātmanepada; passive-like sense ‘is commended’

Speaker

Lord Kūrma (Vishnu) instructing sages on varnashrama-dharma

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: vira

Characters & Entities

• Kṣatriya
• Vaiśya
• Veda
• Yajña
• Daṇḍa (Daṇḍanīti)

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

How does this verse explain the nature of the Supreme Self (Atman)?

This verse does not directly define Ātman; it frames spiritual life through dharma—yajña, dāna, and adhyayana—disciplines that purify the mind and make higher knowledge of the Self possible in the Purāṇic path.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No specific yoga technique is named; the verse emphasizes karma-yoga-like disciplines (sacrifice, study, charity) and role-based duty, which in the Kūrma Purāṇa function as preparatory purification supporting later Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis and Pāśupata-oriented sādhanā.

How does this verse depict the relationship between Shiva and Vishnu?

It does not explicitly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu; it presents a shared dharma structure where ritual, study, and ethical governance are upheld as universal supports for devotion and liberation across sectarian lines in the Kūrma Purāṇa.