Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 38

Tīrtha-Māhātmya: Mahālaya, Kedāra, Rivers and Fords, and Devadāru Forest

Akṣaya-Karma Doctrine

Devanagari script

अल्पेनापि तु कालेन नरो धर्मपरायणः / पाप्मानमुत्सृजत्याशु जीर्णां त्वचमिवोरगः

Transliteration

alpenāpi tu kālena naro dharmaparāyaṇaḥ / pāpmānamutsṛjatyāśu jīrṇāṃ tvacamivoragaḥ

Translation

Dù chỉ trong thời gian ngắn, người chuyên tâm nơi Chánh pháp liền mau chóng rũ bỏ tội lỗi—như rắn lột bỏ lớp da cũ đã mòn.

Word by Word

• अल्पेन: with a little (amount)
• अल्पेन: करण (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; विशेषण-प्रयोगः (instrumental: 'with/by a little')

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: सम्बन्ध/निपात (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle: 'even/also')

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: सम्बन्ध/निपात (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (adversative/emphatic: 'but/indeed')

• कालेन: by time; within time
• कालेन: करण (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• नरः: a man/person
• नरः: कर्ता (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• धर्मपरायणः: devoted to dharma
• धर्मपरायणः: कर्ता-विशेषण (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्म + परायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (धर्मे परायणः = devoted to dharma)

• पाप्मानम्: sin/evil
• पाप्मानम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• उत्सृजति: casts off; abandons
• उत्सृजति: क्रिया (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उत् + सृज् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• आशु: quickly
• आशु: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आशु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: quickly)

• जीर्णाम्: worn-out
• जीर्णाम्: कर्म-विशेषण (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जीर्ण (कृदन्त; √जॄ/जरा)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past participle: 'worn out')

• त्वचम्: skin
• त्वचम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वच् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• इव: like
• इव: उपमान-चिह्न (Simile marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमा-वाचक (comparative particle: 'like/as')

• उरगः: a snake
• उरगः: उपमान (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उरग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Narratorial teaching within the Kurma Purana’s dharma-instruction (speaker not explicitly specified in the provided excerpt)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Dharma
• Pāpa
• Oraga (serpent)

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

By implying that sin is an external accretion that can be shed, the verse aligns with the Purāṇic-Yogic view that the Atman remains intrinsically pure; dharma helps remove coverings (mala) that obscure direct realization.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse emphasizes dharma-parāyaṇatā (single-minded commitment to righteous living) as a core sādhana; in Kurma Purana’s broader Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis, such ethical discipline functions like a foundational limb of Yoga, enabling faster inner purification supportive of meditation and devotion.

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

Rather than contrasting sectarian paths, it presents dharma as a shared purifier upheld across Shaiva and Vaishnava frameworks—consistent with the Kurma Purana’s integrative stance where liberation-oriented discipline is common ground.