Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 47

Virocana–Bali, Aditi’s Tapas, and the Vāmana–Trivikrama Episode

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मणान् पूजयामास दत्त्वा बहुतरं धनम् / ब्रह्मर्षयः समाजग्मुर्यज्ञवाटं महात्मनः

Transliteration

brāhmaṇān pūjayāmāsa dattvā bahutaraṃ dhanam / brahmarṣayaḥ samājagmuryajñavāṭaṃ mahātmanaḥ

Translation

त्याने विपुल धन देऊन ब्राह्मणांचा सत्कार केला; आणि त्या महात्म्याच्या यज्ञवाटेत ब्रह्मर्षी एकत्र जमले।

Word by Word

• brāhmaṇān: Brahmins
• brāhmaṇān: Karma (कर्म/object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (ब्राह्मण प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā (Acc. 2), Bahuvacana

• pūjayāmāsa: honoured/worshipped
• pūjayāmāsa: Kriyā (क्रिया/predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pūj (पूज् धातु)
• Form: Liṭ-lakāra (Perfect), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• dattvā: having given
• dattvā: Kriyā-sahakārī (क्रियासहकारी/gerundial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (दा धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/त्वान्त (ktvā), avyaya-kṛdanta; pūrva-kāla-kriyā (prior action)

• bahu-taram: very much/greater
• bahu-taram: Karma (कर्म; qualifier of object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (बहु प्रातिपदिक) + tara (तर प्रत्यय, comparative)
• Form: Napुंसakaliṅga, Dvitīyā (Acc. 2), Ekavacana; viśeṣaṇa of dhanam; comparative degree

• dhanam: wealth
• dhanam: Karma (कर्म/object; thing given)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhana (धन प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसakaliṅga, Dvitīyā (Acc. 2), Ekavacana

• brahma-ṛṣayaḥ: Brahmarishis (sage-seers)
• brahma-ṛṣayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (ब्रह्मन् प्रातिपदिक) + ṛṣi (ऋषि प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā (Nom. 1), Bahuvacana; samāsa: tatpuruṣa (brahmaṇaḥ ṛṣayaḥ / brahma-vid-ṛṣayaḥ)

• samājagmuḥ: came together/arrived
• samājagmuḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया/predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√gam (गम् धातु)
• Form: Liṭ-lakāra (Perfect), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Bahuvacana; parasmaipada

• yajña-vāṭam: sacrificial enclosure
• yajña-vāṭam: Karma (कर्म; goal as object of motion)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña (यज्ञ प्रातिपदिक) + vāṭa (वाट प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā (Acc. 2), Ekavacana; samāsa: tatpuruṣa (yajñasya vāṭaḥ)

• mahātmanaḥ: of the great-souled (Bali)
• mahātmanaḥ: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठीसम्बन्ध/possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-ātman (महात्मन् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī vibhakti (Gen. 6), Ekavacana; samāsa: karmadhāraya (‘great’ + ‘self’)

Speaker

Sūta/Narrator (Purāṇic narration describing the mahātmā king’s yajña context)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: vira

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇas
• Brahmarṣis
• Yajñavāṭa (sacrificial enclosure)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: it frames dharmic action (yajña, dāna, honoring the worthy) as the purifying ground that supports higher realization; in the Kurma Purana’s arc, such sattva-building conduct becomes a basis for later teachings on Atman and Īśvara.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No specific meditation is taught in this verse; it highlights karma aligned with dharma—yajña and dāna—often treated as preparatory disciplines that steady the mind and cultivate sattva, supporting later Yoga-shāstra instructions (including Pāśupata-oriented restraint and devotion).

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

It does not explicitly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu; it emphasizes shared Purāṇic dharma—yajña, honoring Brāhmaṇas, and welcoming ṛṣis—values that underpin the Kurma Purana’s broader Śaiva–Vaiṣṇava synthesis in later sections.