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
Harta yang diperoleh demi dharma—bukan semata-mata untuk kepentingan diri—itulah benar-benar “harta”; tetapi harta yang dicari hanya untuk diri sendiri menjadi malapetaka. Maka, setelah memperoleh rezeki, hendaklah bersedekah, mempersembahkan oblation ke dalam api suci, dan melaksanakan yajña (ibadat korban).
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.