Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 6

Snātaka and Gṛhastha-Dharma: Conduct, Marriage Norms, Daily Rites, and Liberating Virtues

Devanagari script

शुक्लाम्बरधरो नित्यं सुगन्धः प्रियदर्शनः / न जीर्णमलवद्वासा भवेद् वै विभवे सति

Transliteration

śuklāmbaradharo nityaṃ sugandhaḥ priyadarśanaḥ / na jīrṇamalavadvāsā bhaved vai vibhave sati

Translation

He should always wear clean white garments, be gently fragrant, and appear pleasing to behold; and when he has the means, he should certainly not wear clothes that are old or soiled with dirt.

Word by Word

• śukla-ambara-dharaḥ: wearing white garments
• śukla-ambara-dharaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śukla (प्रातिपदिक) + ambara (प्रातिपदिक) + dhara (कृदन्त, √dhṛ धातु)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine/पुंलिङ्ग), Prathamā vibhakti (Nominative/प्रथमा), Ekavacana (Singular/एकवचन); dhara = vartamāna-kṛdanta (present participial agent-noun) from √dhṛ

• nityam: always
• nityam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (indeclinable/अव्यय); kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (adverbial)

• su-gandhaḥ: fragrant
• su-gandhaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + gandha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; karmadhāraya: ‘good’ + ‘fragrance’ = ‘pleasant-smelling’

• priya-darśanaḥ: pleasing in appearance
• priya-darśanaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: priya (प्रातिपदिक) + darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; karmadhāraya: ‘pleasant’ + ‘appearance/seeing’

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation marker/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Niṣedha-avyaya (negation particle/निषेध)

• jīrṇa-mala-vat-vāsāḥ: one wearing clothes like (i.e., stained with) old dirt
• jīrṇa-mala-vat-vāsāḥ: Viśeṣya (Predicate complement/विशेष्य)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jīrṇa (कृदन्त, √jṛ धातु) + mala (प्रातिपदिक) + vat (तद्धित प्रत्यय) + vāsas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa: jīrṇa-mala = ‘old dirt’; vat = ‘possessing/like’; vāsāḥ (from vāsas) = ‘clothed/garment-wearer’ used adjectivally

• bhavet: should be
• bhavet: Kriyā (Predicate verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (भू धातु)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (Optative/विधिलिङ्), Prathama puruṣa (3rd person/प्रथमपुरुष), Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Emphatic particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: Nipāta (particle/निपात), emphasis/assurance

• vibhave: in (a state of) prosperity/means
• vibhave: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vibhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Saptamī vibhakti (Locative/सप्तमी), Ekavacana

• sati: when (it) exists; when there is
• sati: Adhikaraṇa (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sat (कृदन्त, √as धातु)
• Form: Saptamī, Ekavacana; saptamī absolute (सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध/locative absolute) with vibhave; present participle ‘being’

Speaker

Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing on dharma and daily discipline

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: shringara

Characters & Entities

• Lord Kurma
• Vishnu
• Dharma
• Vibhava (prosperity)

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly, it points to inner purity through outer discipline: maintaining cleanliness and restraint supports sāttvika clarity, which is traditionally held to aid insight into the ātman.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse emphasizes śauca (purity) and regulated living—core niyamas that stabilize the mind, making mantra, japa, and meditation fit to bear fruit in Kurma Purana’s yoga-oriented dharma.

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

It reflects their shared dharmic foundation: the same ethic of purity and disciplined conduct underlies both Vaiṣṇava devotion to Kurma/Vishnu and Śaiva-Pāśupata spiritual culture in the Kurma Purana.