Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 17

Karma-yoga Discipline for the Twice-born: Upanayana, Upavīta Conduct, Guru-veneration, and Alms-regimen

Devanagari script

अग्निकार्यं ततः कुर्यात् सायं प्रातः प्रसन्नधीः / स्नात्वा संतर्पयेद् देवानृषीन् पितृगणांस्तथा

Transliteration

agnikāryaṃ tataḥ kuryāt sāyaṃ prātaḥ prasannadhīḥ / snātvā saṃtarpayed devānṛṣīn pitṛgaṇāṃstathā

Translation

ثم، بعقلٍ راضٍ صافٍ، ليقم بعمل النار (أغنيكاريا) مساءً وصباحًا. وبعد الاغتسال، فليؤدِّ التَّرْبَنَة على الوجه اللائق لإرضاء الآلهة والريشيين وجماعات الأسلاف.

Word by Word

• agni-kāryam: the fire-duty (agnihotra etc.)
• agni-kāryam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: agni (प्रातिपदिक) + kārya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa ‘fire-rite’; object of ‘kuryāt’

• tataḥ: thereafter
• tataḥ: Kāla/krama-bodhaka (क्रमबोधक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Anantara-avyaya (अनन्तर/‘thereafter’)

• kuryāt: should do
• kuryāt: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (विधिलिङ्, optative), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• sāyam: in the evening
• sāyam: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sāyam (अव्यय)
• Form: Kāla-avyaya

• prātaḥ: in the morning
• prātaḥ: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prātaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Kāla-avyaya

• prasanna-dhīḥ: with a serene mind
• prasanna-dhīḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prasanna (प्रातिपदिक) + dhī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; karmadhāraya ‘one whose mind is clear’; viśeṣaṇa of implied subject (dvijaḥ)

• snātvā: having bathed
• snātvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: snā (स्ना धातु) + tvā → snātvā (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: Absolutive/gerund (क्त्वा), pūrvakāla-kriyā (prior action)

• saṃtarpayet: should satisfy/offer to
• saṃtarpayet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: saṃ-tṛp (सम्-तृप् धातु)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ, Prathama-puruṣa, Ekavacana; causative sense ‘to satisfy/offer’ (णिच् implied in usage)

• devān: the gods
• devān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Bahuvacana; object

• ṛṣīn: the sages
• ṛṣīn: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Bahuvacana; object

• pitṛ-gaṇān: the groups of ancestors (pitṛs)
• pitṛ-gaṇān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Bahuvacana; tatpuruṣa ‘group of ancestors’; object

• tathā: likewise, also
• tathā: Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्धबोधक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya/anuvāda-avyaya (तथैव/‘also/likewise’)

Speaker

Traditional narrator to the sages (Purāṇic instruction on varnashrama-dharma; framed within the Kurma Purana’s didactic discourse)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Agni
• Devas
• Rishis
• Pitrs

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

It implies that inner clarity (prasannadhī) is essential for dharma: purity of mind supports the inward turn toward the Self, even while performing outward Vedic duties.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse highlights preparatory discipline: calm-mindedness, ritual regularity (morning/evening), and purification (snāna) with tarpana—foundational supports for later yogic concentration and devotion emphasized in the Kurma Purana’s spiritual teaching.

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

Indirectly: by grounding spirituality in Vedic nitya-karma and inner serenity, it reflects the Kurma Purana’s integrative approach where sectarian devotion is harmonized through shared dharma and purification practices.