Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, 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
தர்மத்திற்காகப் பெறப்படும் செல்வமே உண்மையான செல்வம்; தன்நலத்திற்காக மட்டும் சேர்க்கும் செல்வம் அனர்த்தமாகிறது. ஆகவே வளம் பெற்றவன் தானம் செய்யவும், ஹோமம் செய்யவும், யாக-வழிபாடு செய்யவும் வேண்டும்।
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.