Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 54

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

Devanagari script

अपने विषुवे चैव ग्रहणे चन्द्रसूर्ययोः / संक्रान्त्यादिषु कालेषु दत्तं भवति चाक्षयम्

Transliteration

apane viṣuve caiva grahaṇe candrasūryayoḥ / saṃkrāntyādiṣu kāleṣu dattaṃ bhavati cākṣayam

Translation

在至日与昼夜平分之时，于月食日食之际——乃至在太阳转节（saṅkrānti）等诸般清净圣时所施之供养——其功德成就为“阿克沙耶”(akṣaya)，永不耗尽。

Word by Word

• apane: at the time of apāna (a specific occasion/rite)
• apane: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: apana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• viṣuve: at the equinox
• viṣuve: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣuva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction/particle (समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय)

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (निश्चयार्थक/अवधारणार्थक अव्यय)

• grahaṇe: during an eclipse
• grahaṇe: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: grahaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• candra-sūryayoḥ: of the moon and the sun
• candra-sūryayoḥ: Sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: candra (प्रातिपदिक) + sūrya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Dual (द्विवचन)

• saṃkrānti-ādiṣu: on saṅkrānti and other (occasions)
• saṃkrānti-ādiṣu: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃkrānti (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग) (head: saṃkrānti), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Plural (बहुवचन)

• kāleṣu: at times/occasions
• kāleṣu: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Plural (बहुवचन)

• dattam: given (a gift)
• dattam: Karma (कर्म) (as predicate: ‘that which is given’)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (दा धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त/कृत्), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• bhavati: becomes/is
• bhavati: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (भू धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction/particle (समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय)

• akṣayam: imperishable/inexhaustible
• akṣayam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: akṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); predicate adjective qualifying ‘dattam’

Speaker

Sūta (narrating traditional dharma-teachings of the Kūrma Purāṇa to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Chandra
• Surya
• Grahaṇa
• Saṅkrānti
• Viṣuva
• Ayana

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: by stressing disciplined dharma (right giving at sanctified times), it supports purification of mind (citta-śuddhi), which is a prerequisite for Atman-realization taught elsewhere in the Kūrma Purāṇa’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse foregrounds karma-yoga through dāna (selfless giving). In the Kūrma Purāṇa’s broader yogic ethic, such regulated acts performed at auspicious kālas cultivate sāttvika disposition, aiding steadiness for japa, dhyāna, and devotion to Īśvara.

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

It reflects their shared dharma-framework: sacred time (kāla) and righteous action (dāna) are upheld as universal means of spiritual uplift, consistent with the Purāṇa’s non-sectarian Shaiva–Vaishnava harmony rather than a sect-exclusive path.