Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 20

Varnāśrama-Krama, Vairāgya as the Ground of Saṃnyāsa, and Brahmārpaṇa Karma-yoga

Devanagari script

अन्यथा यदि कर्माणि कुर्यान्नित्यमपि द्विजः / अकृत्वा फलसंन्यासं बध्यते तत्फलेन तु

Transliteration

anyathā yadi karmāṇi kuryānnityamapi dvijaḥ / akṛtvā phalasaṃnyāsaṃ badhyate tatphalena tu

Translation

وإلا، فحتى إن قام ذو الميلادين (dvija) بالأعمال كلَّ يوم، إن لم يترك التعلّق بثمارها، قُيِّد حقًّا بتلك النتائج نفسها.

Word by Word

• anyathā: otherwise
• anyathā: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anyathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Avyaya), क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Avyaya), शर्तार्थक (conditional particle)

• karmāṇi: actions
• karmāṇi: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• kuryāt: should do
• kuryāt: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विध्यर्थ), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• nityam: always
• nityam: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् (adverbial accusative), क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Avyaya), अपि-भाव (even)

• dvijaḥ: a twice-born (Brahmin)
• dvijaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• a-kṛtvā: without having done
• a-kṛtvā: Pūrvakāla (पूर्वकाल/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: na + kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/absolutive), निषेध-पूर्वक (with privative a-): 'not having done'

• phala-saṃnyāsam: renunciation of fruits
• phala-saṃnyāsam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃnyāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'phalānāṃ saṃnyāsaḥ'

• badhyate: is bound
• badhyate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bandh (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• tat-phalena: by that fruit (result)
• tat-phalena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'tasya phalena'

• tu: but / indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Avyaya), विरोध/विशेषार्थक (adversative/emphatic particle)

Speaker

Sūta (narrating the Purāṇic teaching of dharma and karma-yoga as received from the sages)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Characters & Entities

• dvija
• karma
• phala-saṃnyāsa

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

It implies that bondage belongs to the doer’s attachment to results, not to the Self; when fruit-attachment is renounced, action no longer entangles awareness, aligning with the Purāṇic view that the Atman remains intrinsically unbound.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

It highlights karma-yoga through phala-tyāga (renunciation of the fruits): performing one’s prescribed duties in varṇāśrama while offering outcomes to Īśvara, a core preparatory discipline that supports deeper yoga (including Pāśupata-oriented purification) by reducing egoic grasping.

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

By centering on Īśvara-oriented renunciation rather than sectarian identity, the verse fits the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis: liberation is taught through devotion and surrender to the one Lord (Īśvara) beyond fruit-attachment.