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Shloka 21

Gṛhastha Livelihood, Āpad-dharma, and Sacrificial Stewardship of Wealth

Devanagari script

योर्ऽथो धर्माय नात्मार्थः सोर्ऽथो ऽनर्थस्तथेतरः / तस्मादर्थं समासाद्य दद्याद् वै जुहुयाद् यजेत्

Transliteration

yor'tho dharmāya nātmārthaḥ sor'tho 'narthastathetaraḥ / tasmādarthaṃ samāsādya dadyād vai juhuyād yajet

Translation

Reichtum, der um des Dharma willen erworben wird—nicht bloß zum eigenen Vorteil—ist wahrhaft „Reichtum“; doch Reichtum, der nur für sich selbst gesucht wird, wird zum Unheil. Darum soll man, nachdem man Mittel erlangt hat, Almosen geben, Opfergaben ins Feuer darbringen und das yajña vollziehen.

Word by Word
योःof whom (of those two / of those)
योः:
Shashthi-sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootयद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formसर्वनाम, षष्ठी/सप्तमी-विभक्ति (6th/7th; here genitive ‘of whom’), द्विवचन
अर्थःwealth/purpose
अर्थः:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootअर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन
धर्मायfor dharma
धर्माय:
Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
TypeNoun
Rootधर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (4th/Dative), एकवचन
नnot
न:
Pratishedha (प्रतिषेध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootन (अव्यय)
Formनिषेध-अव्यय (negation)
आत्म-अर्थःself-interest
आत्म-अर्थः:
Vidhēya (विधेय/predicate)
TypeNoun
Rootआत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
Formतत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी: ‘आत्मनः अर्थः’), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन
सःthat (he/it)
सः:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formसर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन
अर्थःwealth/purpose
अर्थः:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootअर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन
अनर्थःharm, misfortune
अनर्थः:
Vidhēya (विधेय/predicate)
TypeNoun
Rootअनर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-नाम
तथाthus
तथा:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/adverbial)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतथा (अव्यय)
Formरीति/प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (adverb: ‘thus/so’)
इतरःthe other (kind)
इतरः:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeAdjective
Rootइतर (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (understood: ‘अर्थः’)
तस्मात्therefore
तस्मात्:
Hetu/Apadana (हेतु/अपादान)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formतस्मात् इति तद्धित-निपातवत् प्रयोगः; अपादानार्थे अव्ययीभाववत् (indeclinable in sense ‘therefore/from that’)
अर्थम्wealth
अर्थम्:
Karma (कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootअर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन
समासाद्यhaving obtained/approached
समासाद्य:
Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootसम्-आ-√सद् (धातु)
Formक्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्यय-भाव; ‘having approached/obtained’
दद्यात्should give
दद्यात्:
Kriya (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√दा (धातु)
Formविधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद
वैindeed
वै:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootवै (अव्यय)
Formनिश्चयार्थक/खल्वर्थक अव्यय (emphatic particle)
जुहुयात्should offer (into fire)
जुहुयात्:
Kriya (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√हु (धातु)
Formविधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद
यजेत्should sacrifice/worship
यजेत्:
Kriya (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√यज् (धातु)
Formविधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद
Speaker

Traditional narration within the Kurma Purana’s dharma-teaching section (speaker not explicitly specified in the provided excerpt; presented as authoritative puranic instruction aligned with Lord Kurma’s dharmic counsel).

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: vira

FAQs

It warns against treating the self (ātma) as the sole end of wealth; artha becomes meaningful only when subordinated to Dharma, implying that true well-being is aligned with a higher spiritual-ethical order rather than egoic self-interest.

Rather than meditation techniques, the verse emphasizes karma-yoga in a puranic frame: purifying action through dāna (charity), homa/juhoti (fire-offerings), and yajña (sacrificial worship), which disciplines desire and reorients artha toward Dharma.

This verse is primarily ethical and ritual, not sectarian; it reflects the Kurma Purana’s integrative stance where dharmic action (yajña, homa, dāna) is upheld as universally purifying across Shaiva-Vaishnava practice.

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