Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 5

Rules of Food, Acceptance, and Purity for the Twice-Born

Dvija-Śauca and Anna-Doṣa

Devanagari script

चक्रोपजीविरजकतस्करध्वजिनां तथा / गान्धर्वलोहकारान्नं सूतकान्नं च वर्जयेत्

Transliteration

cakropajīvirajakataskaradhvajināṃ tathā / gāndharvalohakārānnaṃ sūtakānnaṃ ca varjayet

Translation

应当避开以制轮为生者之食、洗衣者之食、盗贼之食与执旗者之食；同样也当避开歌者/伎艺者之食、铁匠之食，以及与 sūtaka（仪式不净期）相关之食。

Word by Word

• cakra-upajīvi-rajaka-taskara-dhvajinām: of wheel-livelihood people, washermen, thieves, and standard-bearers
• cakra-upajīvi-rajaka-taskara-dhvajinām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cakra-upajīvin + rajaka + taskara + dhvajin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी, बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (list compound)

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारार्थक/समुच्चयार्थक (adverb: likewise)

• gāndharva-lohakāra-annam: food of gāndharvas and iron-smiths
• gāndharva-lohakāra-annam: Karma (कर्म/object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gāndharva + lohakāra + anna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; (gāndharva-lohakāra) इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व + तत्पुरुष (… annam)

• sūtaka-annam: food of a sūtaka (charioteer/bard)
• sūtaka-annam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūtaka + anna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

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

• varjayet: should avoid
• varjayet: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vṛj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Traditional dharma-instruction voice within the Kurma Purana (didactic narrator conveying smṛti-style rules of conduct)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa

Characters & Entities

• Sūtaka (ritual impurity)
• Varnāśrama-dharma (social-ritual order)

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

It does not define Ātman directly; it supports the broader Kurma Purana approach that spiritual realization is aided by śuddhi (purity) and disciplined conduct, beginning with purity in food and social contact.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No specific meditation technique is taught in this verse; it provides preparatory discipline (yama-like restraint) through āhāra-śuddhi, which the Purana treats as supportive for mantra-japa, worship, and higher yogic steadiness.

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

The verse is a dharma rule and does not mention Shiva–Vishnu explicitly; within the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis, such purity disciplines are presented as universal prerequisites for devotion and yoga regardless of whether one worships Shiva, Vishnu, or the one Ishvara.