Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 4

Narmadā-tīrtha-māhātmya — Bhṛgu-tīrtha to Sāgara-saṅgama

Pilgrimage Circuit, Gifts, Fasting, and Imperishable Merit

Devanagari script

क्षरन्ति सर्वदानानि यज्ञदानं तपः क्रिया / अक्षयं तत् तपस्तप्तं भृगुतीर्थे युधिष्ठिर

Transliteration

kṣaranti sarvadānāni yajñadānaṃ tapaḥ kriyā / akṣayaṃ tat tapastaptaṃ bhṛgutīrthe yudhiṣṭhira

Translation

Lahat ng pagbibigay ay lumilipas; gayundin ang mga sakripisyo, handog sa ritwal, pag-aayuno at mga gawaing panrelihiyon. Ngunit ang tapas na isinagawa sa Bhṛgu-tīrtha ay nagbubunga ng di-nasisira, O Yudhiṣṭhira.

Word by Word

• kṣaranti: perish/decay
• kṣaranti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṣar (क्षर् धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन)

• sarva-dānāni: all gifts/charities
• sarva-dānāni: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); कर्मधारय: sarvāṇi dānāni = all gifts

• yajña-dānam: sacrificial gift
• yajña-dānam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña (प्रातिपदिक) + dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: yajñasya dānam = gift connected with sacrifice

• tapaḥ: austerity
• tapaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• kriyā: ritual act/practice
• kriyā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kriyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• akṣayam: imperishable
• akṣayam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a+kṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• tat: that
• tat: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• tapas-taptam: austerity performed
• tapas-taptam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक) + √tap (तप् धातु)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); तत्पुरुष: tapasā taptam = heated/performed by austerity; PPP (क्त) of √tap

• bhṛgu-tīrthe: at Bhṛgu-tīrtha
• bhṛgu-tīrthe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhṛgu (प्रातिपदिक) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: bhṛgoḥ tīrtham = at Bhṛgu’s sacred ford

• yudhiṣṭhira: O Yudhiṣṭhira
• yudhiṣṭhira: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yudhiṣṭhira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

A Purāṇic narrator addressing Yudhiṣṭhira (instruction on tīrtha-māhātmya)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Bhṛgu
• Bhṛgu-tīrtha
• Yudhiṣṭhira

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: it contrasts perishable external acts with imperishable fruit born of tapas, implying that inner transformation and steady discipline align one with the enduring (akṣaya) reality rather than transient results.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

Tapas (austerity/discipline) is foregrounded as the decisive sādhana. In Kurma Purana’s wider Yoga-shāstra tone, tapas supports purification, restraint, and concentrated practice—often treated as superior to merely transactional ritual merit.

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

By elevating tapas beyond sectarian ritual categories, the verse fits the Kurma Purana’s synthesizing approach: imperishable spiritual fruit comes from disciplined sādhana at sacred spaces revered across traditions, harmonizing Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava paths in practice.