Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 28

Śrāddha-vidhi for Pitṛs: Invitations, Purity, Offerings, and Conduct

Devanagari script

अपि वा भोजयेदेकं ब्राह्मणं वेदपारगम् / श्रुतशीलादिसंपन्नमलक्षणविवर्जितम्

Transliteration

api vā bhojayedekaṃ brāhmaṇaṃ vedapāragam / śrutaśīlādisaṃpannamalakṣaṇavivarjitam

Translation

அல்லது வேதங்களில் பாண்டித்யம் பெற்ற, ஸ்ருதி-ஞானமும் நல்லொழுக்கமும் முதலியவற்றால் நிறைந்த, தகுதி குறைக்கும் குறியீடுகள் அற்ற ஒரே பிராமணருக்கேனும் உணவளிக்க வேண்டும்।

Word by Word

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: निपात (particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात; विकल्प/समुच्चयार्थ (even/also)

• वा: or
• वा: विकल्प (alternative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक अव्यय (or)

• भोजयेत्: should feed
• भोजयेत्: क्रिया (verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज् (धातु)
• Form: णिच्-प्रयोजक (causative) ‘भोजय-’; विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• एकम्: one
• एकम्: विशेषण (कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्या-विशेषण; पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• ब्राह्मणम्: a Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणम्: कर्म (Karma/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• वेदपारगम्: versed in the Veda
• वेदपारगम्: विशेषण (कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वेदपारग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: वेद + पारग (उपपद-तत्पुरुष; ‘gone to the far shore of the Veda’); पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• श्रुतशीलादिसंपन्नम्: endowed with learning, good conduct, etc.
• श्रुतशीलादिसंपन्नम्: विशेषण (कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रुत-शील-आदि-संपन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: (श्रुत + शील + आदि) + संपन्न (तत्पुरुष; ‘endowed with learning, conduct, etc.’); पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• अलक्षणविवर्जितम्: free from defects
• अलक्षणविवर्जितम्: विशेषण (कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अलक्षण-विवर्जित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: अलक्षण + विवर्जित (तत्पुरुष; ‘free from bad marks/defects’); पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) conveying the Kurma Purana’s dharma-teaching in a discourse among sages

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Brahmana
• Veda
• Dana-dharma

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: it prioritizes purity, learning, and conduct as qualifications for receiving sacred offerings, implying that dharma and inner refinement support realization-oriented life (adhyात्म-aimed discipline), though the verse itself focuses on merit through worthy giving.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No explicit yogic technique is taught; the verse supports the ethical foundation (yama-like virtues such as śīla and freedom from faults) that Purāṇic Yoga paths—including Pāśupata-oriented discipline elsewhere in the Kurma Purana—treat as prerequisites for higher practice.

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

It does not mention Śiva or Viṣṇu directly; it aligns with the Kurma Purana’s integrative dharma framework where righteous giving and honoring the learned support devotion and spiritual progress across Shaiva–Vaishnava practice.