Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 26

Saṃnyāsa-dharma — Qualifications, Threefold Renunciation, and the Conduct of the Yati

Devanagari script

अहिंसा सत्यमस्तेयं ब्रह्मचर्यं तपः परम् / क्षमा दया च सतोषो व्रतान्यस्य विशेषतः

Transliteration

ahiṃsā satyamasteyaṃ brahmacaryaṃ tapaḥ param / kṣamā dayā ca satoṣo vratānyasya viśeṣataḥ

Translation

அஹிம்சை, சத்தியம், அஸ்தேயம், பிரம்மச்சரியம், உன்னத தவம்; மேலும் பொறுமை, கருணை, திருப்தி—இவையே குறிப்பாக அவனுடைய முதன்மை விரதங்கள் என அறிவிக்கப்படுகின்றன.

Word by Word

• ahiṃsā: non-violence
• ahiṃsā: Karta (कर्ता/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ahiṃsā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; गुण/व्रतवाचक

• satyam: truthfulness
• satyam: Karta (कर्ता/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: satya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• asteyam: non-stealing
• asteyam: Karta (कर्ता/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asteya (प्रातिपदिक; a+steya)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• brahmacaryam: celibacy
• brahmacaryam: Karta (कर्ता/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahmacarya (प्रातिपदिक; brahma+carya)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• tapaḥ: austerity
• tapaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• param: supreme
• param: Karta (कर्ता/Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘तपः’ विशेषण

• kṣamā: forbearance
• kṣamā: Karta (कर्ता/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣamā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• dayā: compassion
• dayā: Karta (कर्ता/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dayā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय

• santoṣaḥ: contentment
• santoṣaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: santoṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• vratāni: vows/observances
• vratāni: Karta (कर्ता/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• asya: of him/of this (person)
• asya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध

• viśeṣataḥ: especially
• viśeṣataḥ: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: viśeṣatas (अव्यय; from viśeṣa)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण—‘विशेषेण/विशेषतः’ (especially)

Speaker

Lord Kūrma (Vishnu) instructing on dharma and vrata

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Characters & Entities

• Kūrma
• Vishnu
• Dharma
• Vrata
• Brahmacarya
• Tapas

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

By prescribing ahiṃsā, satya, brahmacarya, tapas, kṣamā, dayā, and santoṣa, the verse points to inner purification: these vows quiet the mind and reduce ego-driven harm, making the Self’s clarity (ātma-prakāśa) attainable in practice.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse emphasizes the ethical-vrata foundation comparable to yama-niyama: non-violence, truth, non-stealing, disciplined restraint, austerity, forgiveness, compassion, and contentment—seen in Kurma Purana’s Yoga-oriented dharma as prerequisites for steadiness in japa, dhyāna, and higher devotion/knowledge.

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

Though not naming Śiva explicitly, it presents a shared dharmic-Yogic code honored across both Shaiva and Vaishnava paths; the Kurma Purana’s synthesis often frames such vratas as universally valid disciplines leading to the same supreme reality worshipped as Hari or Hara.