Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 31

Daily Duties of Brāhmaṇas: Snāna, Sandhyā, Sūrya-hṛdaya, Japa, Tarpaṇa, and the Pañca-mahāyajñas

Devanagari script

तस्मात् सर्वप्रयत्नेन संध्योपासनमाचरेत् / उपासितो भवेत् तेन देवो योगतनुः परः

Transliteration

tasmāt sarvaprayatnena saṃdhyopāsanamācaret / upāsito bhavet tena devo yogatanuḥ paraḥ

Translation

Por ello, con todo esfuerzo, debe practicarse la adoración de Sandhyā (los ritos del crepúsculo). Mediante esa práctica queda verdaderamente adorado el Deva Supremo, cuya misma forma es el Yoga.

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu/Apādāna (हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Ablative sense adverb (तस्मात्-इति अव्ययवत्), ‘therefore/from that’

• सर्व-प्रयत्नेन: with every effort
• सर्व-प्रयत्नेन: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sarva + prayatna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular; ‘with all effort’ (सर्वः प्रयत्नः इति कर्मधारय)

• संध्या-उपासनम्: sandhyā-worship
• संध्या-उपासनम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃdhyā + upāsana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; ‘worship of twilight-prayer’ (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: संध्यायाः उपासनम्)

• आचरेत्: should perform/practice
• आचरेत्: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √car (चर्) (धातु)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (विधिलिङ्/Optative), Parasmaipada, 3rd Person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular; ‘should practice’

• उपासितः: (when) worshipped
• उपासितः: Karta (कर्ता) (of ‘bhavet’ as predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: upa-√ās (आस्) (धातु)
• Form: Past Passive Participle (क्त), Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; ‘worshipped’

• भवेत्: becomes/should become
• भवेत्: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (भू) (धातु)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (विधिलिङ्/Optative), Parasmaipada, 3rd Person, Singular; ‘would become/should become’

• तेन: by that
• तेन: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter/Masculine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular; ‘by that/thereby’

• देवः: the god
• देवः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• योग-तनुः: of yogic form
• योग-तनुः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of ‘devaḥ’
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yoga + tanu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; ‘having a yogic body/form’ (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: योगस्य तनुः)

• परः: supreme
• परः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of ‘devaḥ’
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; ‘supreme’

Speaker

Lord Kūrma (Viṣṇu) instructing the sages/seekers in a Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis framework

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: vira

Characters & Entities

• Sandhya
• Deva
• Yoga

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

It presents the Supreme Lord as “yoga-tanuḥ”—the transcendent reality approached through disciplined Yoga; worship is not merely external but realized through yogic practice aligned with daily sacred duty (nitya-karma).

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

Sandhyā-upāsanā is emphasized as a foundational daily discipline—regular twilight prayer with mantra, mental recollection, and inner steadiness—treated as a yogic act that directly constitutes worship of the Supreme.

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

By defining the Supreme Deity as “yoga embodied,” the verse supports the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis: the one Supreme (Iśvara) is worshipped through yogic discipline, a teaching compatible with both Shaiva (Pāśupata-oriented) and Vaishnava devotion.