Shloka 55

Karma-yoga Discipline for the Twice-born: Upanayana, Upavīta Conduct, Guru-veneration, and Alms-regimen

Devanagari script

सजातीयगृहेष्वेव सार्ववर्णिकमेव वा / भैक्ष्यस्य चरणं प्रोक्तं पतितादिषु वर्जितम्

Transliteration

sajātīyagṛheṣveva sārvavarṇikameva vā / bhaikṣyasya caraṇaṃ proktaṃ patitādiṣu varjitam

Translation

Es wird gelehrt, dass das Almosenbitten (bhaikṣya) entweder nur in den Häusern der eigenen sozialen Gruppe oder in einer allen Varṇas offenen Weise zu üben ist; doch sind die Häuser der Gefallenen und anderer Missbilligter zu meiden.

Word by Word

• sajātīya-gṛheṣu: in houses of one’s own group
• sajātīya-gṛheṣu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sajātīya (प्रातिपदिक) + gṛha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (determinative: “in houses of the same kind/caste”); नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.) ‘gṛha’, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Loc.), बहुवचन (pl.)

• eva: only
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle: “only/indeed”)

• sārvavarṇikam: common to all castes
• sārvavarṇikam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sārva-varṇika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (“of all varṇas”); नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचन (sg.)—अत्र ‘caraṇam’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (indeed/only)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (or)

• bhaikṣyasya: of begging/alms-seeking
• bhaikṣyasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaikṣya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Gen.), एकवचन (sg.)

• caraṇam: procedure/step (practice)
• caraṇam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nom.), एकवचन (sg.)

• proktam: is declared
• proktam: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-vac (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), प्रथमा एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगः—“is said/declared”

• patita-ādiṣu: among the fallen and the like
• patita-ādiṣu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: patita (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (“among fallen etc.”); पुंलिङ्ग (m.)/सामान्य, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Loc.), बहुवचन (pl.)

• varjitam: is forbidden/avoided
• varjitam: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: varj (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), प्रथमा एकवचन; अर्थः—वर्जितम् (forbidden/avoided)

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) conveying the dharma-teaching as preserved in the Kurma Purana’s discourse

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa

Characters & Entities

• Bhaikshya
• Varnashrama-dharma
• Patita

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: it frames external discipline (pure sources of sustenance and avoidance of corrupt company) as a support for inner purity, which the Purana treats as necessary for steady contemplation of the Self and devotion to Īśvara.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No specific āsana or dhyāna is taught here; the verse emphasizes yama-like ethical restraints—purity of livelihood and avoidance of fallen influences—foundational for Yoga and for the Shaiva-Vaishnava path of disciplined devotion.

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

It does not name Śiva or Viṣṇu explicitly; it reflects their shared dharma-framework in the Kurma Purana’s synthesis, where ethical purity and regulated conduct are presented as common prerequisites for realizing Īśvara.