Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 6

Yati-Āśrama: Bhikṣā-vidhi, Īśvara-dhyāna, and Prāyaścitta

Mahādeva as Non-dual Brahman

Devanagari script

गोदोहमात्रं तिष्ठेत कालं भिक्षुरधोमुखः / भिक्षेत्युक्त्वा सकृत् तूष्णीमश्नीयाद् वाग्यतः शुचिः

Transliteration

godohamātraṃ tiṣṭheta kālaṃ bhikṣuradhomukhaḥ / bhikṣetyuktvā sakṛt tūṣṇīmaśnīyād vāgyataḥ śuciḥ

Translation

ဘိက္ခုသည် မျက်နှာချ၍ နွားနို့ညှစ်ချိန်လောက်သာ ရပ်တည်ရမည်။ “ဆွမ်း” ဟု တစ်ကြိမ်သာ တောင်းဆိုပြီးနောက် စကားထိန်း၍ စိတ်အတွင်းသန့်ရှင်းစွာ တိတ်တဆိတ် စားသောက်ရမည်။

Word by Word

• गोदोहमात्रम्: for the time of milking a cow
• गोदोहमात्रम्: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोदोह (प्रातिपदिक) + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म/कालपरिमाण), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गोदोहमात्रम् = as long as a milking-time)

• तिष्ठेत: should stand
• तिष्ठेत: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• कालम्: time
• कालम्: Kāla (काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म/कालपरिमाण), एकवचन

• भिक्षुः: the mendicant
• भिक्षुः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भिक्षु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन

• अधोमुखः: with face downward
• अधोमुखः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अधस् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (अधो मुखं यस्य = face downward)

• भिक्षेत्: should beg
• भिक्षेत्: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भिक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/वाक्यसमाप्तिसूचक अव्यय (quotative)

• उक्त्वा: having said
• उक्त्वा: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive), अव्ययभाव

• सकृत्: once
• सकृत्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सकृत् (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• तूष्णीम्: silently
• तूष्णीम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तूष्णीम् (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• अश्नीयात्: should eat
• अश्नीयात्: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अश् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• वाग्यतः: restrained in speech
• वाग्यतः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वाक् (प्रातिपदिक) + यत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वाचः यतः = restrained in speech)

• शुचिः: pure/clean
• शुचिः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुचि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Traditional narration within Kurma Purana’s dharma-teaching section (didactic voice attributed to the Purana’s instructive discourse, ultimately grounded in Lord Kurma’s teaching tradition)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Characters & Entities

• Bhikshu
• Dharma
• Bhiksha

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

By prescribing silence, lowered gaze, and inner purity, the verse points to inwardness (pratyāhāra) and self-restraint—practical supports for turning attention from sensory display to the witnessing Self (Atman).

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

It emphasizes yama-like restraints: vāg-yama (control of speech), tūṣṇī-bhāva (silence), humility (adhomukhatā), and śauca (purity). These disciplines steady the mind and support contemplative practice.

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

Indirectly: the shared ascetic ethic—purity, restraint, and humility—is common to both Shaiva (including Pāśupata discipline) and Vaishnava renunciant ideals, reflecting the Kurma Purana’s synthesis in practical dharma.