Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 21

Brahmacārin-Dharma: Guru-Sevā, Daily Vedic Study, Gāyatrī-Japa, and Anadhyāya Regulations

Devanagari script

गुरूच्छिष्टं भेषजार्थं प्रयुञ्जीत न कामतः / कलापकर्षणस्नानं नाचरेद्धि कदाचन

Transliteration

gurūcchiṣṭaṃ bheṣajārthaṃ prayuñjīta na kāmataḥ / kalāpakarṣaṇasnānaṃ nācareddhi kadācana

Translation

গুৰুৰ অন্নৰ উচ্ছিষ্ট কেৱল ঔষধীয় প্ৰয়োজনতহে গ্ৰহণ কৰিব, কামনাৰ বাবে নহয়। আৰু দেহৰ ‘কলা’ (প্ৰাণসাৰ) টানি লোৱা স্নান কেতিয়াও নকৰিব।

Word by Word

• gurūcchiṣṭam: the teacher’s leftovers
• gurūcchiṣṭam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guru (प्रातिपदिक) + ucchiṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गुरोः उच्छिष्टम्)

• bheṣaja-artham: for medicinal purpose
• bheṣaja-artham: Prayojana (प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bheṣaja (प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; द्वितीया-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययवत् (purpose: ‘for medicine’)

• prayuñjīta: should use
• prayuñjīta: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-yuj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• kāmataḥ: out of desire/for pleasure
• kāmataḥ: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (Ablatival adverb): ‘from desire/at will’

• kalāpa-karṣaṇa-snānam: bathing with rubbing/scraping using a bundle (of grass etc.)
• kalāpa-karṣaṇa-snānam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kalāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + karṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (कलापस्य/कलापेन कर्षणं यत् स्नानम्)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• ācaret: should practise/do
• ācaret: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-car (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; sandhi in text: nācaret

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic/causal particle)

• kadācana: ever/at any time
• kadācana: Kāla (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kadācana (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Traditional attribution: the teaching voice in the Kurma Purana (Lord Kurma/Vishnu) instructing dharma and purity disciplines

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa

Characters & Entities

• Guru
• Bheṣaja (medicine/therapy)

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: it emphasizes mastery over desire and careful preservation of vital purity, which supports inner clarity (sattva) needed for Atman-realization in Yoga and dharma.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

It highlights niyama-like restraints: avoiding indulgence, treating the guru’s remnants as sacred and exceptional (only for healing), and avoiding practices believed to deplete vitality—supporting steadiness for Pashupata-oriented sādhana.

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

By focusing on shared dharma and yogic discipline rather than sectarian difference—an approach characteristic of the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis where ethical purity undergirds devotion to Īśvara.