Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 125

Prāyaścitta for Theft, Forbidden Foods, Impurity, and Ritual Lapses; Tīrtha–Vrata Remedies; Pativratā Mahātmyam via Sītā and Agni

Devanagari script

इति वह्न्यष्टकं जप्त्वा रामपत्नी यशस्विनी / ध्यायन्ती मनसा तस्थौ राममुन्मीलितेक्षणा

Transliteration

iti vahnyaṣṭakaṃ japtvā rāmapatnī yaśasvinī / dhyāyantī manasā tasthau rāmamunmīlitekṣaṇā

Translation

Ainsi, après avoir récité l’hymne en huit stances au Feu (Vahny-aṣṭaka), Sītā, l’illustre épouse de Rāma, demeura inébranlable, méditant au-dedans de son esprit, tandis que Rāma la regardait, les yeux grands ouverts.

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/quotative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), quotative particle (इति-शब्दः)

• वह्नि-अष्टकम्: the Agni-octad hymn (vahnyaṣṭaka)
• वह्नि-अष्टकम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vahni (प्रातिपदिक) + aṣṭaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः/निर्देश-तत्पुरुषः: ‘वह्नेः अष्टकम्’

• जप्त्वा: having recited
• जप्त्वा: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/पूर्वकर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jap (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त), from √जप्; ‘having recited’

• राम-पत्नी: Rama’s wife (Sita)
• राम-पत्नी: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāma (प्रातिपदिक) + patnī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: ‘रामस्य पत्नी’

• यशस्विनी: renowned, illustrious
• यशस्विनी: Karta-anvaya (कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yaśasvinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); adjective qualifying ‘रामपत्नी’

• ध्यायन्ती: meditating
• ध्यायन्ती: Karta-anvaya (कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dhyai (धातु)
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ-प्रत्यय, वर्तमानकाले), Feminine, Nominative, Singular; from √ध्यै ‘to meditate’

• मनसा: with the mind
• मनसा: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• तस्थौ: stood
• तस्थौ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन); from √स्था ‘to stand’

• रामम्: Rama
• रामम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• उन्मीलित-ईक्षणा: with opened eyes
• उन्मीलित-ईक्षणा: Karta-anvaya (कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: unmīlita (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + īkṣaṇā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; बहुव्रीहिः: ‘उन्मीलिते ईक्षणे यस्याः सा’ (having eyes opened)

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator (third-person narration within the Rama-Sita episode)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: vira

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Agni (Vahni)
• Rama
• Sita

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

By emphasizing inner meditation (dhyāna) and steadiness, the verse points to the Atman as realized through inward recollection rather than external proof—purity is affirmed by inner poise and truth.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

It highlights japa (recitation of a sacred hymn) followed by dhyāna (inward contemplation) and dhṛti/steadiness—core disciplines aligned with Purāṇic Yoga-shāstra and the Kurma Purana’s emphasis on focused mind and ritual purity.

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

Though not explicit here, the verse reflects the Kurma Purana’s synthesis: Agni as a sacred witness within dharma, and devotion expressed through mantra and meditation—shared spiritual technologies honored across Shaiva and Vaishnava frameworks.