Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 51

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

Devanagari script

औषधं स्नेहमाहारं रोगिणे रोगशान्तये / ददानो रोगरहितः सुखी दीर्घायुरेव च

Transliteration

auṣadhaṃ snehamāhāraṃ rogiṇe rogaśāntaye / dadāno rogarahitaḥ sukhī dīrghāyureva ca

Translation

Người đem thuốc men, dầu/ghī và thức ăn bổ dưỡng cho người bệnh để dập yên bệnh khổ, sẽ được không bệnh tật, an lạc và thật sự trường thọ.

Word by Word

• auṣadham: medicine
• auṣadham: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: auṣadha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• sneham: oil/fat (unctuousness)
• sneham: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sneha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• āhāram: food
• āhāram: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āhāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• rogiṇe: to a sick person
• rogiṇe: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान/Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rogin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन (Singular)

• roga-śāntaye: for the pacification of illness
• roga-śāntaye: Prayojana (प्रयोजन/Purpose)
• Type: Noun
• Root: roga (प्रातिपदिक) + śānti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (रोगस्य शान्तिः)

• dadānaḥ: giving
• dadānaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Agent)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (Present active participle/शतृ), परस्मैपदी; पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nom./1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• roga-rahitaḥ: free from disease
• roga-rahitaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: roga (प्रातिपदिक) + rahita (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त-भाव)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुषः (रोगेण रहितः)

• sukhī: happy
• sukhī: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sukhin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• dīrgha-āyuḥ: long-lived
• dīrgha-āyuḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण/Predicate qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dīrgha (प्रातिपदिक) + āyus (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मधारयः (दीर्घम् आयुः)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (particle of emphasis)

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

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) conveying the Purāṇic teaching on dāna-dharma

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Rogi (the sick person)
• Auṣadha (medicine)
• Dāna (charitable giving)

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

By praising selfless giving that relieves another’s suffering, the verse points to dharmic action that purifies the mind (antaḥkaraṇa-śuddhi), making one fit to recognize the Atman—beyond illness and sorrow—through inner clarity.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

It emphasizes karma-yoga in the form of sevā (service): compassionate giving without selfish motive. Such dāna supports purity, restraint, and sattva—foundational conditions for higher disciplines like japa, dhyāna, and Pāśupata-oriented worship taught in the Kurma Purana.

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

While not naming deities, it expresses the Kurma Purana’s shared Shaiva-Vaishnava ethic: relieving suffering through dharma is a single sacred path honored across both traditions, aligning devotion and action with the one Supreme Lord revered as Hari-Hara.