Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 21
Gṛhastha Livelihood, Āpad-dharma, and Sacrificial Stewardship of Wealth
योर्ऽथो धर्माय नात्मार्थः सोर्ऽथो ऽनर्थस्तथेतरः / तस्मादर्थं समासाद्य दद्याद् वै जुहुयाद् यजेत्
yor'tho dharmāya nātmārthaḥ sor'tho 'narthastathetaraḥ / tasmādarthaṃ samāsādya dadyād vai juhuyād yajet
जो अर्थ धर्मासाठी आहे, स्वार्थासाठी नाही—तोच खरा अर्थ; केवळ स्वतःसाठी मिळवलेला अर्थ अनर्थ ठरतो. म्हणून साधन मिळाल्यावर दान द्यावे, होम करावा आणि यज्ञ-पूजन करावे।
Traditional narration within the Kurma Purana’s dharma-teaching section (speaker not explicitly specified in the provided excerpt; presented as authoritative puranic instruction aligned with Lord Kurma’s dharmic counsel).
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
It warns against treating the self (ātma) as the sole end of wealth; artha becomes meaningful only when subordinated to Dharma, implying that true well-being is aligned with a higher spiritual-ethical order rather than egoic self-interest.
Rather than meditation techniques, the verse emphasizes karma-yoga in a puranic frame: purifying action through dāna (charity), homa/juhoti (fire-offerings), and yajña (sacrificial worship), which disciplines desire and reorients artha toward Dharma.
This verse is primarily ethical and ritual, not sectarian; it reflects the Kurma Purana’s integrative stance where dharmic action (yajña, homa, dāna) is upheld as universally purifying across Shaiva-Vaishnava practice.