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

Der Vornehmste der Zweimalgeborenen, der sich bei anderen Dharma-Pflichten abmüht, dabei aber die ehrfürchtige Verehrung der Sandhyā aufgibt, gelangt in die Vielzahl der Höllen.

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.