Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 15

Karma-yoga Discipline for the Twice-born: Upanayana, Upavīta Conduct, Guru-veneration, and Alms-regimen

Devanagari script

धारयेद् बैल्वपालाशौ दण्डौ केशान्तकौ द्विजः / यज्ञार्हवृक्षजं वाथ सौम्यमव्रणमेव च

Transliteration

dhārayed bailvapālāśau daṇḍau keśāntakau dvijaḥ / yajñārhavṛkṣajaṃ vātha saumyamavraṇameva ca

Translation

ଦ୍ୱିଜ ଛାତ୍ର ବିଲ୍ୱ କିମ୍ବା ପଲାଶ କାଠର ଦଣ୍ଡ ଧାରଣ କରୁ, ଯାହା କେଶାନ୍ତ (ଶିଖା ପର୍ଯ୍ୟନ୍ତ) ପହଞ୍ଚେ; କିମ୍ବା ଯଜ୍ଞାର୍ହ ବୃକ୍ଷର କାଠର, ସୌମ୍ୟ ଓ ଦୋଷରହିତ ଦଣ୍ଡ ଧାରଣ କରିପାରେ।

Word by Word

• dhārayet: should wear/hold
• dhārayet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dhṛ (धृ धातु)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (विधिलिङ्, optative), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• bailva-pālāśau: (made of) bilva and palāśa
• bailva-pālāśau: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bilva (प्रातिपदिक) + palāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā (2nd/द्वितीया), Dvivacana (द्विवचन); dvandva qualifying ‘daṇḍau’

• daṇḍau: two staffs
• daṇḍau: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Dvivacana; object of ‘dhārayet’

• keśānta-kau: reaching up to the hair-end (top of head)
• keśānta-kau: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: keśānta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Dvivacana; tatpuruṣa ‘ending at the hair (topknot)’; viśeṣaṇa of ‘daṇḍau’

• dvijaḥ: the twice-born (brāhmaṇa)
• dvijaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; subject

• yajña-arha-vṛkṣa-jam: made from wood of a sacrificially fit tree
• yajña-arha-vṛkṣa-jam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yajña (प्रातिपदिक) + arha (प्रातिपदिक) + vṛkṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + ja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa ‘born from a tree fit for sacrifice’; qualifies implied ‘daṇḍam/daṇḍau’ (material)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्धबोधक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: Vikalpa-avyaya (विकल्प)

• atha: then/also
• atha: Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्धबोधक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: Anantara/ārambha-avyaya (अनन्तर/आरम्भ)

• saumyam: gentle, auspicious
• saumyam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saumya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; viśeṣaṇa of implied ‘daṇḍam’

• avraṇam: unwounded, without blemish
• avraṇam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: avraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; viśeṣaṇa of implied ‘daṇḍam’

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्धबोधक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avadhāraṇa-avyaya (अवधारण/‘indeed/only’)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्धबोधक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya-avyaya (समुच्चय/‘and’)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic instruction within the dharma-teaching section; traditionally transmitted by sages in the Kurma Purana frame)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: vira

Characters & Entities

• Dvija
• Brahmacārin
• Yajña

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

This verse is primarily a dharma-vidhi (rule of conduct) for the brahmacārin; it supports Self-realization indirectly by prescribing disciplined external symbols (the staff) that cultivate restraint, purity, and steadiness—conditions considered conducive to ātma-jñāna in the Purāṇic yoga-dharma framework.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No direct meditation technique is taught here; the verse emphasizes brahmacarya discipline and saṃskāra-based training. In Kurma Purana’s broader soteriology, such regulated conduct functions as preparatory sādhana—stabilizing the mind and senses before higher practices (including Pāśupata-oriented devotion and yogic concentration taught elsewhere).

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

It does not explicitly discuss Shiva–Vishnu unity; however, the shared Purāṇic synthesis appears in the broader text where dharma and yoga are presented as universal disciplines supporting devotion to Īśvara—whether approached through Vaiṣṇava or Śaiva idioms.