Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 11

Prāyaścitta for Theft, Forbidden Foods, Impurity, and Ritual Lapses; Tīrtha–Vrata Remedies; Pativratā Mahātmyam via Sītā and Agni

Devanagari script

बकं चैव बलाकं च हंसं कारण्डवं तथा / चक्रवाकं प्लवं जग्घ्वा द्वादशाहमभोजनम्

Transliteration

bakaṃ caiva balākaṃ ca haṃsaṃ kāraṇḍavaṃ tathā / cakravākaṃ plavaṃ jagghvā dvādaśāhamabhojanam

Translation

مَن أكل لحم الكُركيّ (baka) أو البلشون (balāka) أو البجعة (haṃsa) أو بطّ الكاراندافا (kāraṇḍava) أو الإوزّ الأحمر (cakravāka) أو طائر الماء (plava)، فليلتزم كفّارة اثني عشر يومًا بلا طعام.

Word by Word

• बकम्: crane/heron
• बकम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक निपात

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण निपात

• बलाकम्: stork/heron
• बलाकम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बलाक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक निपात

• हंसम्: swan/goose
• हंसम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हंस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• कारण्डवम्: a kind of duck (kāraṇḍava)
• कारण्डवम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण्डव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकारवाचक (adverb: ‘likewise’)

• चक्रवाकम्: cakravāka bird (ruddy goose)
• चक्रवाकम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्रवाक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• प्लवम्: plava bird (a waterfowl)
• प्लवम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्लव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• जग्ध्वा: having eaten
• जग्ध्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ग्रह्/ग्रस (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive), ‘having eaten’

• द्वादश-अहम्-अभोजनम्: twelve-day fasting (non-eating)
• द्वादश-अहम्-अभोजनम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वादश (संख्या/प्रातिपदिक) + अहन्/अह (प्रातिपदिक) + अभोजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (कालपरिमाण-निर्देश: ‘for twelve days’), ‘abhojana’ = fasting

Speaker

Vyasa (narratorial dharma instruction within a prāyaścitta section)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bibhatsa

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Kurma Purana
• Prāyaścitta
• Dharmaśāstra

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

It does so indirectly: by prescribing restraint and penance, the verse supports purification of conduct (ācāra-śuddhi), which is treated in the Kurma tradition as a practical foundation for inner clarity conducive to Self-knowledge.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The practice emphasized is tapas in the form of fasting (abhojana) as prāyaścitta—an ethical-austerity discipline that complements Yoga by strengthening self-control (saṃyama) and reducing tamas linked to harmful consumption.

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

This verse is primarily dharma-prāyaścitta instruction rather than theology; its shared ethic of purification and restraint aligns with the Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis, where disciplined conduct supports devotion and liberation irrespective of the chosen deity-form.