Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 36

Cosmic Manifestation, Mahāmāyā’s Mandate, Varṇāśrama-Dharma, and the Unity of the Trimūrti

Devanagari script

यजनं याजनं दानं ब्राह्मणस्य प्रतिग्रहम् / अध्यापनं चाध्ययनं षट् कर्माणि द्विजोत्तमाः

Transliteration

yajanaṃ yājanaṃ dānaṃ brāhmaṇasya pratigraham / adhyāpanaṃ cādhyayanaṃ ṣaṭ karmāṇi dvijottamāḥ

Translation

Oferecer o yajña para si, oficiar o yajña para outros, dar em caridade e, para o brāhmaṇa, aceitar dádivas; ensinar e estudar—estes são os seis deveres, ó melhor entre os duas-vezes-nascidos.

Word by Word

• yajanam: sacrificing (performing yajña)
• yajanam: Viśeṣya (विषय/Item in enumeration)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajana (प्रातिपदिक; from yaj धातु)
• Form: Napुṃsaka, Prathamā/Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; here in list as predicate-noun

• yājanam: causing others to sacrifice (officiating)
• yājanam: Viśeṣya (विषय/Item in enumeration)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yājana (प्रातिपदिक; causative sense from yaj धातु)
• Form: Napुṃsaka, Prathamā/Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; item in enumeration

• dānam: giving, donation
• dānam: Viśeṣya (विषय/Item in enumeration)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक; from dā धातु)
• Form: Napुṃsaka, Prathamā/Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

• brāhmaṇasya: of a Brahmin
• brāhmaṇasya: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठी/Genitival relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī, Ekavacana

• pratigraham: accepting (gifts)
• pratigraham: Viśeṣya (विषय/Item in enumeration)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prati + graha (प्रातिपदिक; from grah धातु)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; item in enumeration

• adhyāpanam: teaching
• adhyāpanam: Viśeṣya (विषय/Item in enumeration)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhyāpana (प्रातिपदिक; causative from adhi+ī/adhī धातु)
• Form: Napुṃsaka, Prathamā/Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय/Coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya-nipāta (conjunction)

• adhyayanam: studying
• adhyayanam: Viśeṣya (विषय/Item in enumeration)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhyayana (प्रातिपदिक; from adhi+ī/adhī धातु)
• Form: Napुṃsaka, Prathamā/Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

• ṣaṭ: six
• ṣaṭ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṣaṣ (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Numeral adjective; indeclinable-like form used with neuter plural 'karmāṇi'

• karmāṇi: acts, duties
• karmāṇi: Karta (कर्ता/Subject) (of implied 'are')
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुṃsaka, Prathamā, Bahuvacana

• dvija-uttamāḥ: O best of the twice-born
• dvija-uttamāḥ: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Vocative address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Sambodhana/Prathamā, Bahuvacana; address to audience; karmadhāraya: dvijāḥ eva uttamāḥ

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) conveying the Kurma Purana’s dharma-teaching (general śāstric instruction)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Brahmana
• Dharma
• Yajna
• Veda

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

This verse does not directly define Ātman; it frames dharma through disciplined action—Vedic study, sacrifice, giving, and teaching—seen in Purāṇic tradition as purifying conduct that supports higher realization.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No explicit yoga technique is taught here; the verse emphasizes karma-dharma—yajña, dāna, and svādhyāya (study/recitation)—as foundational disciplines that steady the mind and prepare one for later yogic instruction in the Kurma Purana.

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

It does not mention Śiva or Viṣṇu explicitly; it presents a shared dharma-framework (yajña, dāna, svādhyāya) that the Kurma Purana later integrates with its Śaiva-Vaiṣṇava synthesis and Pāśupata-oriented spirituality.