Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 27

Rules of Food, Acceptance, and Purity for the Twice-Born

Dvija-Śauca and Anna-Doṣa

Devanagari script

उदक्यया च पतितैर्गवा चाघ्रातमेव च / अनर्चितं पुर्युं षितं पर्यायान्नं च नित्यशः

Transliteration

udakyayā ca patitairgavā cāghrātameva ca / anarcitaṃ puryuṃ ṣitaṃ paryāyānnaṃ ca nityaśaḥ

Translation

الطعام الذي لمسته امرأة حائض، أو لمسه منبوذون، أو شمّته بقرة؛ والطعام الذي لم يُكرَّم بطقسٍ شرعي، أو صار بايتًا، أو طُبخ ثم أُبقي لليوم التالي—كل ذلك يُجتنب دائمًا.

Word by Word

• udakyayā: by a menstruating woman
• udakyayā: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: udakyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular; 'by a menstruating woman' (उदक्यया)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय)

• patitaiḥ: by fallen/outcast people
• patitaiḥ: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: patita (प्रातिपदिक; √pat + kta)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (3rd), Plural; 'by outcast/fallen persons'

• gavā: by a cow
• gavā: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental (3rd), Singular (Vedic/epic instr. sg. of गो); 'by a cow'

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय)

• āghrātam: smelled/sniffed
• āghrātam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā√ghrā (धातु)
• Form: Kta-participle (क्त), Neuter, Accusative (2nd), Singular; qualifying implied 'annaṃ/bhojyaṃ'

• eva: indeed; just
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (निश्चयार्थक/अवधारण अव्यय)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय)

• anarcitam: not consecrated; not worshipped
• anarcitam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: an- (उपसर्ग/निषेध) + arcita (प्रातिपदिक; √arc + kta)
• Form: Kta-participle with negation, Neuter, Accusative (2nd), Singular; 'not worshipped/offered'

• puryuṣitam: kept in impurity; stale/tainted
• puryuṣitam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūti/purīṣa? (प्रातिपदिक) + uṣita (प्रातिपदिक; √vas/√uṣ + kta)
• Form: Kta-participle (क्त), Neuter, Accusative (2nd), Singular; tatpuruṣa: 'stayed/kept in filth/impurity' (पु(रि) + उषित)

• paryāya-annam: leftover/second-hand food
• paryāya-annam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paryāya (प्रातिपदिक) + anna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd), Singular; tatpuruṣa: 'food in turn/leftover food served in rotation'

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय)

• nityaśaḥ: always
• nityaśaḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nityaśas (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

Speaker

Sage teaching traditional dharma/ācāra (narrative voice within the Purāṇic instruction)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa

Characters & Entities

• Gauḥ (cow)

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: it emphasizes śauca (purity) and disciplined āhāra as outer supports for inner clarity, which the Purāṇa treats as conducive to steady contemplation of the Self.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

It highlights preparatory yogic discipline (yama/niyama-style restraint), specifically regulation of food and purity, which stabilizes the mind for japa, dhyāna, and devotion in the Kurma Purana’s broader soteriological framework.

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

Not explicitly; it presents shared dharma-śāstra style observances accepted across Shaiva and Vaishnava traditions in the Kurma Purana’s synthetic teaching, where purity of conduct supports devotion to the one Supreme.