Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 51

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

Devanagari script

पुनश्च जातकर्मादिसंकारैः संस्कृता द्विजाः / शुद्ध्येयुस्तद् व्रतं सम्यक् चरेयुर्धर्मवर्धनाः

Transliteration

punaśca jātakarmādisaṃkāraiḥ saṃskṛtā dvijāḥ / śuddhyeyustad vrataṃ samyak careyurdharmavardhanāḥ

Translation

ម្តងទៀត ពួកទ្វិជៈដែលបានបរិសុទ្ធដោយសំស្ការៈចាប់ពីពិធីជាតកರ್ಮ (jātakarma) និងពិធីផ្សេងៗ គួរតែបានសម្អាតខ្លួន; ហើយជាអ្នកបង្កើនធម្មៈ គួរអនុវត្តវ្រតនោះឲ្យត្រឹមត្រូវតាមវិធី។

Word by Word

• punaḥ: again
• punaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya adverb

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya-nipāta (conjunction)

• jātakarma-ādi-saṃskāraiḥ: by the sacraments beginning with the birth-rite
• jātakarma-ādi-saṃskāraiḥ: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jātakarma (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + saṃskāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Tṛtīyā vibhakti (Instr, 3rd), Bahuvacana; tatpuruṣa: jātakarma-ādibhiḥ saṃskāraiḥ (with rites beginning with jātakarma)

• saṃskṛtāḥ: purified/formed (by rites)
• saṃskṛtāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṃskṛta (कृदन्त, √kṛ कृ)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana; kṛdanta PPP used adjectivally

• dvijāḥ: twice-born (Brahmins etc.)
• dvijāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana

• śuddhyeyuḥ: they should become purified
• śuddhyeyuḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया/verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śudh (शुध्)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (optative), Prathama puruṣa (3rd), Bahuvacana, parasmaipada

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसakaliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; demonstrative pronoun used adjectivally

• vratam: vow/observance
• vratam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसakaliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

• samyak: properly
• samyak: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: samyak (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya adverb

• careyuḥ: they should practise
• careyuḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया/verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √car (चर्)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (optative), Prathama puruṣa, Bahuvacana, parasmaipada

• dharma-vardhanāḥ: increasers of dharma
• dharma-vardhanāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + vardhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana; tatpuruṣa used as bahuvrīhi-like epithet: dharmaṃ vardhayanti iti (those who increase dharma)

Speaker

Traditional Purāṇic narrator (instructional voice within the Kurma Purana’s dharma-teaching context)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: vira

Characters & Entities

• Dvija
• Saṃskāra
• Jātakarma
• Vrata
• Dharma

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

This verse does not directly define Ātman; it frames purification through saṃskāra and disciplined vrata as the preparatory dharma that supports higher spiritual realization taught elsewhere in the Kurma Purana.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

Rather than a specific meditation technique, it highlights the yogic foundation of śuddhi (purification) through saṃskāras and correctly observed vrata—ethical and ritual discipline that stabilizes the practitioner for later Yoga-shāstra and Pāśupata-oriented teachings.

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

It does not name Śiva or Viṣṇu explicitly; it reflects the Kurma Purana’s integrative approach where dharma, vows, and purification function as shared foundations for both Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava spiritual paths.