Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 7

Vānaprastha-Dharma: Forest Discipline, Vaikhānasa Austerities, and Śiva-Āśrama as the Liberative Refuge

Devanagari script

अग्निहोत्रं च जुहुयात् पञ्चयज्ञान् समाचरेत् / मुन्यन्नैंर्विविधैर्मेध्यैः शाकमूलफलेन वा

Transliteration

agnihotraṃ ca juhuyāt pañcayajñān samācaret / munyannaiṃrvividhairmedhyaiḥ śākamūlaphalena vā

Translation

他应奉献阿耆尼霍多罗（Agnihotra）之供火，并如法修行五大祭（pañca-yajña）。其生计当依贤者所宜之清净食物，种种皆可；或唯以蔬菜、根茎与果实为食。

Word by Word

• अग्निहोत्रम्: Agnihotra rite
• अग्निहोत्रम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्निहोत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (अग्नेः होत्रम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• जुहुयात्: should offer (into fire)
• जुहुयात्: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हु (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• पञ्च-यज्ञान्: the five sacrifices
• पञ्च-यज्ञान्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्चन् (प्रातिपदिक) + यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगु-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• समाचरेत्: should practice/perform
• समाचरेत्: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + चर् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• मुनि-अन्नैः: with sages’ food / forest-grains
• मुनि-अन्नैः: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (मुनिभिः/मुनिनिर्दिष्टम् अन्नम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• विविधैः: various
• विविधैः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विविध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण; पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• मेध्यैः: pure, fit for sacrifice
• मेध्यैः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मेध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण; पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• शाक-मूल-फलेन: with vegetables, roots, and fruits
• शाक-मूल-फलेन: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाक (प्रातिपदिक) + मूल (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समाहार-द्वन्द्व (vegetables, roots, fruits as a set); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/alternative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्प-अव्यय (disjunctive particle)

Speaker

Traditional narrator voice (Purāṇic instruction on gṛhastha-dharma; framed within the Kurma Purana’s teaching lineage)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: vira

Characters & Entities

• Agnihotra
• Pañca-yajña
• Munis

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: it lays the dharmic foundation—purity, restraint, and yajña—through which the mind becomes fit for higher knowledge of the Self taught elsewhere in the Kurma Purana.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

Not a seated meditation technique, but preparatory discipline (yama-like restraint): daily Agnihotra, pañca-yajña, and medhya āhāra (pure diet), which stabilize the practitioner for later yoga and jñāna.

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

By emphasizing shared dharma—yajña, purity, and disciplined living—this instruction supports the Kurma Purana’s broader Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis where one spiritual law underlies devotion to either form of Īśvara.