Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 2

Snātaka and Gṛhastha-Dharma: Conduct, Marriage Norms, Daily Rites, and Liberating Virtues

Devanagari script

गुरवे तु वरं दत्त्वा स्नायीत तदनुज्ञया / चीर्णव्रतो ऽथ युक्तात्मा सशक्तः स्नातुमर्हति

Transliteration

gurave tu varaṃ dattvā snāyīta tadanujñayā / cīrṇavrato 'tha yuktātmā saśaktaḥ snātumarhati

Translation

Trước hết, hãy dâng lên thầy (guru) lễ vật xứng đáng (dakṣiṇā), rồi với sự cho phép của thầy mà làm lễ tắm kết thúc. Khi đã viên mãn giới nguyện, tâm ý điều phục, tự chế, và thân thể đủ sức, người ấy mới xứng đáng thực hiện snāna như nghi thức hoàn tất.

Word by Word

• gurave: to the teacher
• gurave: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular

• tu: indeed/but
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; particle (निपात), contrast/emphasis

• varam: a gift/boon
• varam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; here ‘boon/gift’

• dattvā: having given
• dattvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/पूर्वकर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा), from √dā ‘to give’

• snāyīta: should bathe
• snāyīta: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: snā (धातु)
• Form: Vidhiliṅ (Optative/विधिलिङ्), Ātmanepada, 3rd Person, Singular

• tat: with that (i.e., with his)
• tat: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular; pronoun used with anu-jñā

• anujñayā: permission/consent
• anujñayā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anujñā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular

• cīrṇavrataḥ: one who has completed the vow
• cīrṇavrataḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: cīrṇa-vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; karmadhāraya ‘one whose vow is performed’; cīrṇa (ppp of √car) + vrata

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; sequential particle (अनन्तरार्थक)

• yuktātmā: self-controlled
• yuktātmā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yukta-ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; bahuvrīhi ‘whose self is disciplined’; yukta (ppp of √yuj) + ātman

• saśaktaḥ: capable/able
• saśaktaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa-śakta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; sa- prefix ‘well/fully’ + śakta (ppp of √śak)

• snātum: to bathe
• snātum: Prayojana (प्रयोजन/infinitival purpose)
• Type: Verb
• Root: snā (धातु)
• Form: Infinitive (तुमुन्), from √snā ‘to bathe’

• arhati: is entitled/deserves
• arhati: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: arh (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ (Present/लट्), Parasmaipada, 3rd Person, Singular

Speaker

Narrator/teaching voice within the Kurma Purana’s vrata-vidhi context (instructional passage attributed to the Purana’s authoritative discourse, ultimately grounded in Lord Kurma’s teaching tradition)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: vira

Characters & Entities

• Guru
• Vrata
• Dakshina
• Snana

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: it emphasizes yuktātmā—self-possessed discipline—implying that inner mastery and purity are prerequisites for higher realization taught elsewhere in the Kurma Purana’s yoga and īśvara-centered doctrines.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse highlights preparatory yogic ethics: obedience to the guru, completion of vrata (regulated observance), and yuktātmā (mental integration/self-control). These support the Kurma Purana’s broader Pāśupata-oriented discipline where outer rites and inner restraint work together.

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

Not explicitly, but it reflects the Purana’s synthetic ethos: guru-centered dharma and disciplined practice are presented as universally valid prerequisites for īśvara-bhakti and yoga, consistent with the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva-Vaishnava harmonization.