Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

स्वाध्याये नित्ययुक्तः स्याद् बहिर्माल्यं न धारयेत् / अन्यत्रकाञ्चनाद् विप्रोनरक्तां बिभृयात् स्त्रजम्

Transliteration

svādhyāye nityayuktaḥ syād bahirmālyaṃ na dhārayet / anyatrakāñcanād vipronaraktāṃ bibhṛyāt strajam

Translation

婆罗门当恒常安住于自习诵读（svādhyāya）。不应为炫示而外佩花鬘；并且除依规可用之金饰外，婆罗门不当佩戴红色花鬘。

Word by Word

• svādhyāye: in self-study (Vedic recitation)
• svādhyāye: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svādhyāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular

• nityayuktaḥ: always engaged
• nityayuktaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nitya-yukta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; karmadhāraya ‘always engaged’; yukta (ppp of √yuj)

• syāt: should be
• syāt: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: Vidhiliṅ (Optative/विधिलिङ्), Parasmaipada, 3rd Person, Singular

• bahirmālyam: outer garland/ornament
• bahirmālyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bahir-mālya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; tatpuruṣa ‘outer garland/ornament’

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; negation particle (निषेध)

• dhārayet: should wear/carry
• dhārayet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dhṛ (धातु)
• Form: Vidhiliṅ (Optative/विधिलिङ्), Parasmaipada, 3rd Person, Singular

• anyatra: except
• anyatra: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anyatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb ‘except/elsewhere’ (अपवादार्थक)

• kāñcanāt: than gold / except gold
• kāñcanāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāñcana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular; ‘from/than gold’ (standard of exception)

• vipraḥ: a Brahmin
• vipraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; negation particle

• raktām: red
• raktām: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rakta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; agrees with strajam

• bibhṛyāt: should wear/bear
• bibhṛyāt: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhṛ (धातु)
• Form: Vidhiliṅ (Optative/विधिलिङ्), Parasmaipada, 3rd Person, Singular

• strajam: garland
• strajam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sraj (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

Speaker

Traditional dharma-instruction voice within the Purana (narratorial/śāstric injunction), framed in the Kurma Purana’s teaching context

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: vira

Characters & Entities

• Vipra (Brāhmaṇa)
• Svādhyāya

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: it prioritizes svādhyāya (scriptural recitation and contemplation), a classical means for refining buddhi and turning awareness inward, which supports recognition of the Self beyond external display.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

Svādhyāya is emphasized as a daily discipline—recitation, study, and reflective assimilation—paired with restraint from outward religious display, aligning with the Kurma Purana’s broader yogic ethic of inner focus and regulated conduct.

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

Not explicitly; it supports the Purana’s synthesis by grounding devotion and yoga in shared dharmic discipline—inner practice over outer show—compatible with both Śaiva (Pāśupata-oriented) and Vaiṣṇava frameworks.