Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 26

Yati-Āśrama: Bhikṣā-vidhi, Īśvara-dhyāna, and Prāyaścitta

Mahādeva as Non-dual Brahman

Devanagari script

उपेत्य च स्त्रियं कामात् प्रायश्चित्तं समाहितः / प्राणायामसमायुक्तं कुर्यात् सांतपनं शुचिः

Transliteration

upetya ca striyaṃ kāmāt prāyaścittaṃ samāhitaḥ / prāṇāyāmasamāyuktaṃ kuryāt sāṃtapanaṃ śuciḥ

Translation

اگر کوئی شہوت کے باعث عورت کے پاس جائے تو یکسوئی کے ساتھ پرایَشچِت کرے؛ پاک ہو کر پرانایام کے ساتھ سانتپن تپسیا بجا لائے۔

Word by Word

• upetya: having approached
• upetya: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa-√i (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund), उपसर्ग: उप; अर्थ: ‘having approached’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• striyam: a woman
• striyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: strī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• kāmāt: from desire/lust
• kāmāt: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुँलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे (cause: ‘out of desire’)

• prāyaścittam: expiation
• prāyaścittam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāyaścitta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन

• samāhitaḥ: composed/attentive
• samāhitaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-ā-√dhā (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुँलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (one who is composed/collected)

• prāṇāyāma-samāyuktam: accompanied by breath-control
• prāṇāyāma-samāyuktam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prāṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + āyāma (प्रातिपदिक) + samāyukta (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (प्राणायामेन समायुक्तम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying sāṃtapanaṃ)

• kuryāt: should do/perform
• kuryāt: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• sāṃtapanam: Sāṃtapana penance (a type of expiation)
• sāṃtapanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāṃtapana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन

• śuciḥ: pure/clean
• śuciḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śuci (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुँलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (of the doer)

Speaker

Traditional narration within a dharma-śāstra style teaching in the Kurma Purana (instructional voice attributed to the Purāṇic teacher in the dialogue frame).

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Characters & Entities

• Prāṇāyāma
• Sāṃtapana (prāyaścitta)

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: by prescribing prāṇāyāma with expiation, it treats mental composure and inner purification as prerequisites for dharmic life—conditions that support clearer recognition of the Self beyond passion.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

Prāṇāyāma (regulated breath-restraint) is explicitly required as part of expiation, indicating that yogic self-regulation is used to burn down passion (kāma) and restore śuddhi (purity) alongside ritual penance (sāṃtapana).

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

Not directly; it reflects the Kurma Purana’s broader Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis by emphasizing shared yogic-dharmic tools (like prāṇāyāma and śuddhi) that underpin both Pāśupata-style discipline and Vaiṣṇava dharma.