Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 45

Cosmic Manifestation, Mahāmāyā’s Mandate, Varṇāśrama-Dharma, and the Unity of the Trimūrti

Devanagari script

ऋतुकालाभिगामित्वं स्वदारेषु न चान्यतः / पर्ववर्जं गृहस्थस्य ब्रह्मचर्यमुदाहृतम्

Transliteration

ṛtukālābhigāmitvaṃ svadāreṣu na cānyataḥ / parvavarjaṃ gṛhasthasya brahmacaryamudāhṛtam

Translation

对居家者而言，所谓“梵行（brahmacarya）”被宣说为：唯在适当的时节亲近自己的妻子，绝不亲近他人之妻，并在神圣斋戒与节期之日（parva）守持禁欲。

Word by Word

• ṛtu-kāla-abhigāmitvam: approaching (one’s wife) only in the proper season
• ṛtu-kāla-abhigāmitvam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛtu (प्रातिपदिक) + kāla (प्रातिपदिक) + abhigāmin (प्रातिपदिक) + -tva (तद्धित)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); तद्धितान्त भाववाचक -tva; समासः: ऋतुकाले अभिगमनम् इति (सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष)

• sva-dāreṣu: in/with one’s own wife (lit. wives)
• sva-dāreṣu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + dāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Plural (बहुवचन); कर्मधारयः: स्वाः दाराः

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Negation particle (निषेध-अव्यय)

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

• anyataḥ: from elsewhere; with others
• anyataḥ: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anyataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Ablatival adverb (तसिल्-अव्यय), ‘from elsewhere/otherwise’

• parva-varjam: excluding festival/sacred days
• parva-varjam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parvan (प्रातिपदिक) + varja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); समासः: पर्वाणि वर्जयति इति (उपपद-तत्पुरुष)

• gṛhasthasya: of the householder
• gṛhasthasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛhastha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• brahmacaryam: continence; brahmacarya
• brahmacaryam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahmacarya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• udāhṛtam: is declared/said
• udāhṛtam: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ud-ā-√hṛ (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (कर्मणि क्त/क्तप्रत्ययान्त), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Lord Kūrma (Vishnu) instructing on varṇāśrama-dharma

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: vira

Characters & Entities

• Brahmacarya
• Gṛhastha
• Ṛtu-kāla
• Parva

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

It frames brahmacarya as disciplined restraint that steadies the mind; such restraint supports inner purity (śuddhi) needed for Self-knowledge, even while living as a householder.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse emphasizes ethical restraint (a yama-like discipline): fidelity, season-regulation, and abstinence on sacred days—practices that conserve vitality and stabilize attention for japa, dhyāna, and devotion.

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

By presenting dharma as a shared yogic ethic rather than sectarian ritual, it aligns with the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis: the same discipline undergirds devotion to Īśvara, whether approached as Shiva or Vishnu.