Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 30

Kali-yuga Doṣas, the Supremacy of Rudra as Refuge, and the Closure of the Manvantara Teaching

Devanagari script

विनिन्दन्ति हृषीकेशं ब्राह्मणान् ब्रह्मवादिनः / वेदबाह्यव्रताचारा दुराचारा वृथाश्रमाः

Transliteration

vinindanti hṛṣīkeśaṃ brāhmaṇān brahmavādinaḥ / vedabāhyavratācārā durācārā vṛthāśramāḥ

Translation

Injurian a Hṛṣīkeśa (Señor de los sentidos) y a los brāhmaṇas que proclaman el Brahman; adoptando votos y observancias ajenos al Veda, son de conducta corrompida—ascetas sólo de nombre, con su vida de āśrama vuelta estéril.

Word by Word

• विनिन्दन्ति: they revile / condemn
• विनिन्दन्ति: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि√निन्द् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन

• हृषीकेशम्: Hṛṣīkeśa (Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa)
• हृषीकेशम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हृषीकेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• ब्राह्मणान्: Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणान्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन

• ब्रह्मवादिनः: speakers/expounders of Brahman (Vedic scholars)
• ब्रह्मवादिनः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मवादिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• वेद-बाह्य-व्रत-आचाराः: whose vows and conduct are outside the Veda
• वेद-बाह्य-व्रत-आचाराः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक) + बाह्य (प्रातिपदिक) + व्रत (प्रातिपदिक) + आचार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः; विशेषण (ब्रह्मवादिनः)

• दुराचाराः: of bad conduct
• दुराचाराः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुराचार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (दुष्टः आचारः यस्य)

• वृथा-आश्रमाः: having a vain/false āśrama (religious status)
• वृथा-आश्रमाः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वृथा (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक-भाव) + आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (वृथा = vain; आश्रमः = religious order)

Speaker

Suta (narrator) reporting the Kurma Purana’s teaching on dharma and pseudo-asceticism

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: raudra

Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa

Characters & Entities

• Hṛṣīkeśa (Vishnu)
• Brāhmaṇas
• Brahman (Vedic Truth)

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: it upholds the Brahma-vādins (teachers of Brahman) and condemns those who reject them, implying that knowledge of Brahman/Ātman is grounded in disciplined, Veda-aligned instruction rather than merely external, non-Vedic observances.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse does not prescribe a specific technique; it sets a criterion: authentic sādhanā must be rooted in śāstra (Veda) and right conduct (ācāra). This aligns with the Kurma Purana’s broader emphasis that Yoga and vrata become fruitful only when joined to dharma, purity, and reverence for realized teachers.

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

By centering devotion to Hṛṣīkeśa while defending Brahman-teaching sages, it reflects the Purana’s synthesis: true worship and Yoga are not sectarian rebellion but śāstra-grounded dharma—compatible with the text’s wider Shaiva-Vaishnava harmony where the Supreme is approached through disciplined, orthodox practice.