Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 30

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

Devanagari script

यो ऽन्यत्र कुरुते यत्नं धर्मकार्ये द्विजोत्तमः / विहाय संध्याप्रणतिं स याति नरकायुतम्

Transliteration

yo 'nyatra kurute yatnaṃ dharmakārye dvijottamaḥ / vihāya saṃdhyāpraṇatiṃ sa yāti narakāyutam

Translation

ذلك الأرفعُ من ذوي الولادتين إذا بذل جهده في أعمال الدِّين في موضعٍ آخر، وترك الخضوعَ التعبّدي للسَّندْهيا، مضى إلى كثرةٍ من الجحيم.

Word by Word

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma, Puṃliṅga, Prathamā Ekavacana

• anyatra: elsewhere
• anyatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anyatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Deśa-avyaya (locative adverb), ‘elsewhere’

• kurute: makes/does
• kurute: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: Laṭ (present), Ātmanepada, Prathama-puruṣa Ekavacana

• yatnam: effort
• yatnam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yatna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā Ekavacana

• dharma-kārye: in a religious duty
• dharma-kārye: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + kārya (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त from √kṛ)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Saptamī Ekavacana; Tatpuruṣa (धर्मस्य कार्ये)

• dvija-uttamaḥ: best of the twice-born
• dvija-uttamaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā Ekavacana; Tatpuruṣa (द्विजानाम् उत्तमः)

• vihāya: having abandoned
• vihāya: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-√hā (हा धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (ल्यबन्त), having abandoned

• saṃdhyā-praṇatim: reverence/obeisance to Sandhyā
• saṃdhyā-praṇatim: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃdhyā (प्रातिपदिक) + praṇati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā Ekavacana; Tatpuruṣa (संध्यायाः प्रणतिः/प्रणतिम्)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma, Puṃliṅga, Prathamā Ekavacana

• yāti: goes
• yāti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √yā (या धातु)
• Form: Laṭ (present), Parasmaipada, Prathama-puruṣa Ekavacana

• naraka-āyutam: a myriad of hells; hell in great measure
• naraka-āyutam: Karma (कर्म/Goal as object of motion)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naraka (प्रातिपदिक) + āyuta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Dvitīyā Ekavacana; Tatpuruṣa (नरकाणाम् आयुतम्/नरक-आयुतम् = ‘ten thousand hells’ as a mass)

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) conveying the Kurma Purana’s dharma-injunctions to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Characters & Entities

• Sandhya (Sandhyā-vandana)
• Dvija (twice-born)
• Naraka (hell)

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: it stresses disciplined nitya-karma (daily obligatory worship) as a purifier of the mind, which in the Kurma Purana’s broader teaching becomes a prerequisite for higher knowledge of Ātman and realization-oriented paths.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

Sandhyā-praṇati (Sandhyā-vandana) is emphasized—regular twilight worship with reverence and self-restraint. In the Kurma Purana’s dharma-to-yoga arc, such daily discipline supports inner steadiness needed for later yogic practices, including Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis and Pashupata-oriented restraint.

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

Not explicitly; the verse is a dharma-injunction. Yet the Kurma Purana’s broader synthesis treats faithful daily worship and discipline as universally binding, forming the shared ground for both Shaiva and Vaishnava devotion rather than sectarian opposition.