Shloka 119

Daily Duties of Brāhmaṇas: Snāna, Sandhyā, Sūrya-hṛdaya, Japa, Tarpaṇa, and the Pañca-mahāyajñas

Devanagari script

वेदाभ्यासो ऽन्वहं शक्त्या महायज्ञक्रिया क्षमा / नाशयत्याशु पापानि देवानामर्चनं तथा

Transliteration

vedābhyāso 'nvahaṃ śaktyā mahāyajñakriyā kṣamā / nāśayatyāśu pāpāni devānāmarcanaṃ tathā

Translation

إنّ تلاوةَ الفيدا ودراستَها كلَّ يومٍ بحسب الاستطاعة، وإقامةَ أعمال القرابين العظمى على الوجه اللائق، وكذلك عبادةَ الآلهة—كلُّ ذلك يُبيدُ الخطايا سريعًا.

Word by Word

• वेद-अभ्यासः: study/practice of the Veda
• वेद-अभ्यासः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक) + अभ्यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (वेदस्य अभ्यासः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन

• अन्वहम्: day by day/daily
• अन्वहम्: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनु (अव्यय) + अहन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास, क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• शक्त्या: with (one’s) ability
• शक्त्या: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन

• महायज्ञ-क्रिया: performance of the great sacrifices
• महायज्ञ-क्रिया: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महायज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक) + क्रिया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (महायज्ञानां क्रिया), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन

• क्षमा: capable/effective
• क्षमा: Karta-visheshana (कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तृविशेषण (योग्यता/समर्थता-अर्थे)

• नाशयति: destroys
• नाशयति: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √नश् (धातु; णिच्—नाशयति)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; णिच् (causative)

• आशु: quickly
• आशु: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आशु (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• पापानि: sins
• पापानि: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), बहुवचन

• देवानाम्: of the gods
• देवानाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• अर्चनम्: worship
• अर्चनम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्चन (प्रातिपदिक; √अर्च्-भाव)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन

• तथा: likewise/also
• तथा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात/क्रियाविशेषण (thus/likewise)

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) conveying the Kurma Purana’s dharma-teaching in a prāyaścitta context

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Veda
• Mahāyajña
• Devas

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: it frames purification (kṣaya of pāpa) through Vedic discipline, yajña, and deva-worship—preparatory dharma that steadies the mind for higher knowledge of the Self taught elsewhere in the Purana.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

Not a meditation technique but a yogic foundation: daily svādhyāya (Veda-abhiyāsa), disciplined karma (mahāyajña-kriyā), and bhakti-style arcana. These purify and concentrate the practitioner, supporting later Yoga-śāstra instructions.

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

By emphasizing orthodox Vedic ritual and deva-arcana rather than sectarian exclusivity, it aligns with the Kurma Purana’s integrative approach where Vedic dharma undergirds both Shaiva and Vaishnava devotion.