Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 45

Daily Duties of Brāhmaṇas: Snāna, Sandhyā, Sūrya-hṛdaya, Japa, Tarpaṇa, and the Pañca-mahāyajñas

Devanagari script

एतद् वै सूर्यहृदयं जप्त्वा स्तवमनुत्तमम् / प्रातः काले ऽथ मध्याह्ने नमस्कुर्याद् दिवाकरम्

Transliteration

etad vai sūryahṛdayaṃ japtvā stavamanuttamam / prātaḥ kāle 'tha madhyāhne namaskuryād divākaram

Translation

اس ‘سوریہ ہردیہ’ نامی بے مثال ستَو کا جپ کرکے، صبح کے وقت اور پھر دوپہر میں عقیدت سے دیواکر (سورج دیوتا) کو نمسکار کرنا چاہیے۔

Word by Word

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun; Neuter, Accusative (2nd), Singular; object of implied 'know/recite'

• vai: indeed
• vai: Nipāta (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात) of emphasis/tradition

• sūryahṛdayam: Sūrya-hṛdaya (Sun-heart hymn)
• sūryahṛdayam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūrya + hṛdaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd), Singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'sūryasya hṛdayam' (Sun's heart; name of hymn)

• japtvā: having recited
• japtvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jap (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा), 'having recited'

• stavam: hymn; praise
• stavam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: stava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd), Singular

• anuttamam: unsurpassed; excellent
• anuttamam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anuttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd), Singular; qualifying stavam

• prātaḥ: in the morning
• prātaḥ: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prātaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; temporal adverb (कालवाचक)

• kāle: at the time
• kāle: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (7th), Singular

• atha: then; and
• atha: Nipāta (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction/particle (निपात) indicating sequence

• madhyāhne: at midday
• madhyāhne: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: madhyāhna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (7th), Singular

• namaskuryāt: should salute; should bow to
• namaskuryāt: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: namas + √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Vिधिलिङ्/Optative (विधिलिङ्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular; Parasmaipada; 'should bow'

• divākaram: the Sun (day-maker)
• divākaram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: divā + kara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd), Singular; तत्पुरुष: 'divāyāḥ karaḥ' (maker of day)

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator (instructional voice within the Kurma Purana’s dharma-upadeśa context)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Surya
• Divakara
• Surya-hridaya

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: it frames disciplined reverence (japa and namaskāra) as a purifying practice that steadies the mind—supporting inner realization, even while the verse itself focuses on solar upāsanā rather than explicit ātma-tattva.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

Japa (repetitive recitation) of the Sūrya-hṛdaya and time-bound daily observance (dawn and midday salutation), aligning with purāṇic sādhana that supports concentration, niyama, and sattva—complementary to broader Yoga-shāstra disciplines.

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

It does so implicitly through the Kurma Purana’s integrative ethos: devotion to a cosmic deity like Sūrya functions within a unified dharmic framework where sectarian boundaries are softened, even though Śiva–Viṣṇu unity is not stated in this specific line.