Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 13

Vānaprastha-Dharma: Forest Discipline, Vaikhānasa Austerities, and Śiva-Āśrama as the Liberative Refuge

Devanagari script

न फालकृष्टमश्नीयादुत्सृष्टमपि केनचित् / न ग्रामजातान्यार्तो ऽपि पुष्पाणि च फलानि च

Transliteration

na phālakṛṣṭamaśnīyādutsṛṣṭamapi kenacit / na grāmajātānyārto 'pi puṣpāṇi ca phalāni ca

Translation

He should not eat what has been obtained by ploughing (produce from tilling), nor what has been thrown away by anyone. Even when distressed, he should not take flowers or fruits that are village-grown (belonging to settled habitation).

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/negator)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation)

• फालकृष्टम्: plough-tilled (grown by ploughing)
• फालकृष्टम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: फाल + कृष्ट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-कृदन्त ‘कृष्ट’ (कृष् धातु) with तत्पुरुष (फालेन कृष्टम्)

• अश्नीयात्: should eat
• अश्नीयात्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अश् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, तृतीयपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘should eat’ (here: should not eat)

• उत्सृष्टम्: discarded/left over
• उत्सृष्टम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्+सृज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘thrown away/left’

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावना/समुच्चय-अव्यय (even/also)

• केनचित्: by anyone/someone
• केनचित्: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अनिश्चित-प्रयोग (indefinite) ‘by someone’

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/negator)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

• ग्रामजातानि: born/produced in a village
• ग्रामजातानि: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ग्राम + जात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; क्त-कृदन्त ‘जात’ (जन् धातु) with तत्पुरुष (ग्रामे जातानि)

• आर्तः: distressed/afflicted
• आर्तः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आर्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; predicate/subject qualifier (even if distressed)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावना/समुच्चय-अव्यय

• पुष्पाणि: flowers
• पुष्पाणि: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; object of implied ‘अश्नीयात्/गृह्णीयात्’ under prohibition

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• फलानि: fruits
• फलानि: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; object under prohibition

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

Speaker

Vyasa (narrator) conveying dharma-injunctions to the sages within the Kurma Purana discourse

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: vira

Characters & Entities

• Kurma Purana
• Dharma
• Vānaprastha
• Āśrama

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: by prescribing restraint and non-appropriation, it supports the inward discipline (saṃyama) that purifies the mind—an essential prerequisite for steady knowledge of the Self in the Kurma Purana’s broader soteriology.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

It highlights yama-like restraints—non-stealing, non-possessiveness, and purity in sustenance—supporting tapas and mental clarity, which the Kurma Purana treats as foundations for higher yoga and devotion.

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

This verse is primarily dharma-focused rather than explicitly sectarian; its ascetic ethic aligns with the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis by emphasizing shared disciplines (tapas, śauca, aparigraha) valued in both Shiva- and Vishnu-oriented paths.