Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 7

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

Devanagari script

अपत्यविजयैश्वर्यस्वर्गार्थं यत् प्रदीयते / दानं तत् काम्यमाख्यातमृषिभिर्धर्मचिन्तकैः

Transliteration

apatyavijayaiśvaryasvargārthaṃ yat pradīyate / dānaṃ tat kāmyamākhyātamṛṣibhirdharmacintakaiḥ

Translation

若布施是为求子嗣、胜利、主宰之力或天界之乐而行，诸圣仙（ṛṣi）——思惟法（dharma）者——宣说此为“kāmya-dāna”，即为求果报之施。

Word by Word

• apatya-vijaya-aiśvarya-svarga-artham: for the sake of offspring, victory, power, and heaven
• apatya-vijaya-aiśvarya-svarga-artham: Prayojana (प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: apatya (प्रातिपदिक) + vijaya (प्रातिपदिक) + aiśvarya (प्रातिपदिक) + svarga (प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; samāhāra-dvandva within + artha: (apatya-vijaya-aiśvarya-svarga) = offspring, victory, sovereignty, heaven; artham = for the sake of

• yat: which (gift)
• yat: Karma (कर्म) (relative-correlative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā, Ekavacana; relative pronoun referring to dānam

• pradīyate: is given
• pradīyate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + dā (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra, Prathama-puruṣa, Ekavacana; passive

• dānam: charity
• dānam: Karma (कर्म) / uddeśya-vastu
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (कर्म) (correlative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā, Ekavacana; correlative to yat

• kāmyam: wish-motivated
• kāmyam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kāmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā, Ekavacana; predicative adjective qualifying dānam

• ākhyātam: is called/declared
• ākhyātam: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā + khyā (धातु)
• Form: Kta (क्त/PPP), Napumsaka, Prathamā, Ekavacana; predicative ‘is called’

• ṛṣibhis: by sages
• ṛṣibhis: Kartṛ (कर्ता) (agent in passive, expressed instrumentally)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Tṛtīyā, Bahuvacana

• dharma-cintakaiḥ: by the dharma-thinkers
• dharma-cintakaiḥ: Kartṛ (कर्ता) (agent in passive, expressed instrumentally)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + cintaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Tṛtīyā, Bahuvacana; tatpuruṣa: dharmaṃ cintayanti iti = thinkers of dharma; in apposition to ṛṣibhis

Speaker

Traditional narration: Sage-to-sage discourse (Purāṇic narrator explaining dharma-classifications); framed within the Kurma Purana’s dharma-teaching context

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: vira

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: it distinguishes desire-driven action (kāmya) from dharma pursued for purification; in the Kurma Purana’s broader teaching, turning from fruit-seeking toward inner purification supports realization of the Self beyond karma-phala.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No specific technique is named; the verse supports the yogic ethic of reducing desire (kāma) and attachment to results, a foundation for steadiness of mind (citta-śuddhi) that later enables disciplined practice in the Purana’s yoga-oriented sections.

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

It does not mention them explicitly; it aligns with the Purana’s synthesis by treating dharma as a shared path of purification—service and giving can be offered with desire (kāmya) or as a higher, inwardly purifying discipline honored across Shaiva-Vaishnava frameworks.