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Shloka 55

Dāna-dharma: Types of Charity, Worthy Recipients, Vrata-Timings, and Śiva–Viṣṇu Propitiation

प्रयागादिषु तीर्थेषु पुण्येष्वायतनेषु च / दत्त्वा चाक्षयमाप्नोति नदीषु च वनेषु च

prayāgādiṣu tīrtheṣu puṇyeṣvāyataneṣu ca / dattvā cākṣayamāpnoti nadīṣu ca vaneṣu ca

เมื่อถวายทาน ณ ตีรถะเช่นประยาคะ และในสถานศักดิ์สิทธิ์ทั้งหลาย—ทั้งริมฝั่งแม่น้ำและแม้ในป่า—ย่อมบรรลุบุญอักษยะไม่เสื่อมคลาย.

prayāga-ādiṣuat Prayāga and other (places)
prayāga-ādiṣu:
Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootprayāga (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine (पुंलिङ्ग) (head: prayāga), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Plural (बहुवचन)
tīrtheṣuin sacred fords/pilgrimage places
tīrtheṣu:
Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Roottīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNeuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Plural (बहुवचन)
puṇyeṣuholy/meritorious
puṇyeṣu:
Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootpuṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNeuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Plural (बहुवचन); qualifying ‘āyataneṣu’
āyataneṣuin abodes/shrines
āyataneṣu:
Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootāyatana (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNeuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Plural (बहुवचन)
caand
ca:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootca (अव्यय)
FormConjunction (समुच्चयार्थक)
dattvāhaving given
dattvā:
Kriya (क्रिया) (पूर्वक्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√dā (दा धातु)
FormAbsolutive/gerund (क्त्वा), indeclinable verbal (अव्ययकृदन्त); prior action
caand
ca:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootca (अव्यय)
FormConjunction (समुच्चयार्थक)
akṣayamimperishable (fruit)
akṣayam:
Karma (कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootakṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNeuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)
āpnotiattains
āpnoti:
Kriya (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√āp (आप् धातु)
FormPresent tense (लट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)
nadīṣuin rivers
nadīṣu:
Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootnadī (प्रातिपदिक)
FormFeminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Plural (बहुवचन)
caand
ca:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootca (अव्यय)
FormConjunction (समुच्चयार्थक)
vaneṣuin forests
vaneṣu:
Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootvana (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNeuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Plural (बहुवचन)
caand
ca:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootca (अव्यय)
FormConjunction (समुच्चयार्थक)

Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing on dharma and tīrtha-mahātmyā

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

P
Prayaga
T
Tirtha
D
Dana
A
Akshaya (imperishable merit)

FAQs

Indirectly: it emphasizes akṣaya (inexhaustible) spiritual fruit gained through dharmic action, pointing to a transcendent order where righteous giving aligns the giver with enduring spiritual reality beyond temporary results.

No specific yogic technique is described; the verse highlights karma-yoga in a dharmic form—selfless dāna performed in sanctified contexts (tīrthas, rivers, forests) as a purifier that supports higher disciplines taught elsewhere in the Kurma Purana, including Pāśupata-oriented devotion and inner restraint.

It does so implicitly through shared dharma: the promise of akṣaya puṇya from tīrtha-dāna reflects the Purana’s synthesis where devotion and righteous acts are upheld across Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava sacred landscapes, harmonizing paths rather than opposing them.