Kurma Purana — Upari Vibhaga — Chapter 25

KuP 2 25.1

व्यास उवाच एष वो ऽभिहितः कृत्स्नो गृहस्थाश्रमवासिनः । द्विजातेः परमो धर्मो वर्तनानि निबोधत

vyāsa uvāca eṣa vo 'bhihitaḥ kṛtsno gṛhasthāśramavāsinaḥ / dvijāteḥ paramo dharmo vartanāni nibodhata

Vyāsa said: Thus has the whole supreme dharma of a twice-born dwelling in the householder's stage been declared to you; now learn the means of livelihood.

AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition

KuP 2 25.2

द्विविधस्तु गृही ज्ञेयः साधकश्चाप्यसाधकः । अध्यापनं याजनं च पूर्वस्याहुः प्रतिग्रहम् । कुसीदकृषिवाणिज्यं प्रकुर्वोतास्वयङ्कृतम्

dvividhastu gṛhī jñeyaḥ sādhakaścāpyasādhakaḥ / adhyāpanaṃ yājanaṃ ca pūrvasyāhuḥ pratigraham / kusīdakṛṣivāṇijyaṃ prakurvotāsvayaṅkṛtam

But the householder is to be known as of two kinds: the accomplisher (sādhaka) and the non-accomplisher. For the former they declare teaching, officiating at sacrifices, and accepting gifts; (the other) may practise lending at interest, agriculture and trade, (but) not done by himself.

AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition — the model flagged this verse as uncertain

KuP 2 25.3

कृषेरभावाद् वाणिज्यं तदभावात् कुसीदकम् । आपत्कल्पो ह्यं ज्ञेयः पूर्वोक्तो मुख्य इष्यते

kṛṣerabhāvād vāṇijyaṃ tadabhāvāt kusīdakam / āpatkalpo hyaṃ jñeyaḥ pūrvokto mukhya iṣyate

In the absence of agriculture, trade; in the absence of that, lending at interest. This is to be known as a rule for times of distress; what was stated earlier is held to be primary.

AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition

KuP 2 25.4

स्वयं वा कर्षणं कुर्याद् वाणिज्यं वा कुसीदकम् । कष्टा पापीयसी वृत्तिः कुसीदं तद् विवर्जयेत्

svayaṃ vā karṣaṇaṃ kuryād vāṇijyaṃ vā kusīdakam / kaṣṭā pāpīyasī vṛttiḥ kusīdaṃ tad vivarjayet

Or he may himself do the ploughing, or trade, or money-lending; money-lending is a hard and more sinful livelihood, so he should avoid it.

AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition

KuP 2 25.5

क्षात्रवृत्तिं परां प्रहुर्न स्वयं कर्षणं द्विजैः । तस्मात् क्षात्रेण वर्तेत वर्तनेनापदि द्विजः

kṣātravṛttiṃ parāṃ prahurna svayaṃ karṣaṇaṃ dvijaiḥ / tasmāt kṣātreṇa varteta vartanenāpadi dvijaḥ

They declare the kṣatriya's livelihood better, not ploughing done by the twice-born themselves; therefore in distress a twice-born should live by the kṣatriya's means of subsistence.

AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition

KuP 2 25.6

तेन चावाप्यजीवंस्तु वैश्यवृत्तिं कृषिं व्रजेत् । न कथञ्चन कुर्वोत ब्राह्मणः कर्म कर्षणम्

tena cāvāpyajīvaṃstu vaiśyavṛttiṃ kṛṣiṃ vrajet / na kathañcana kurvota brāhmaṇaḥ karma karṣaṇam

And if he cannot live by that, he should resort to the vaiśya's livelihood, agriculture; (but) in no way should a brahmin do the work of ploughing (himself).

AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition

KuP 2 25.7

लब्धलाभः पितॄन् देवान् ब्राह्मणांश्चापि पूजयेत् । ते तृप्तास्तस्य तं दोषं शमयन्ति न संशयः

labdhalābhaḥ pitṝn devān brāhmaṇāṃścāpi pūjayet / te tṛptāstasya taṃ doṣaṃ śamayanti na saṃśayaḥ

Having obtained the gain, let him honour the ancestors, the gods, and the brahmins as well; satisfied, they assuredly quell that fault of his.

AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition

KuP 2 25.8

देवेभ्यश्च पितृभ्यश्च दद्याद् भागं तु विंशकम् । त्रिंशद्भागं ब्राह्मणानां कृषिं कुर्वन् न दुष्यति

devebhyaśca pitṛbhyaśca dadyād bhāgaṃ tu viṃśakam / triṃśadbhāgaṃ brāhmaṇānāṃ kṛṣiṃ kurvan na duṣyati

He should give a twentieth part to the gods and to the ancestors, and a thirtieth part to the brahmins; (thus) practising agriculture he is not defiled.

AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition

KuP 2 25.9

वणिक् प्रदद्याद् द्विगुणं कुसीदी त्रिगुणं पुनः । कृषीवलो न दोषेण युज्यते नात्र संशयः

vaṇik pradadyād dviguṇaṃ kusīdī triguṇaṃ punaḥ / kṛṣīvalo na doṣeṇa yujyate nātra saṃśayaḥ

A trader should give twice as much, and a moneylender three times as much; the farmer is not tainted by fault — of this there is no doubt.

AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition

KuP 2 25.10

शिलोञ्छं वाप्याददीत गृहस्थः साधकः पुनः । विद्याशिल्पादयस्त्वन्ये बहवो वृत्तिहेतवः

śiloñchaṃ vāpyādadīta gṛhasthaḥ sādhakaḥ punaḥ / vidyāśilpādayastvanye bahavo vṛttihetavaḥ

Or the householder who is an adept may take up gleaning of ears and of scattered grain; but for others there are many means of livelihood, such as learning, craft, and so on.

AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition

KuP 2 25.11

असाधकस्तु यः प्रोक्तो गृहस्थाश्रमसंस्थितः । शिलोञ्छे तस्य कथिते द्वे वृत्ती परमर्षिभिः

asādhakastu yaḥ prokto gṛhasthāśramasaṃsthitaḥ / śiloñche tasya kathite dve vṛttī paramarṣibhiḥ

But he who has been called a non-adept, established in the householder's stage of life — for him the supreme sages have declared two livelihoods, (namely) the gleaning of ears and of fallen grain.

AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition

KuP 2 25.12

अमृतेनाथवा जीवेन्मृतेनाप्यथवा यदि । अयाचितं स्यादमृतं मृतं भेक्षं तु याचितम्

amṛtenāthavā jīvenmṛtenāpyathavā yadi / ayācitaṃ syādamṛtaṃ mṛtaṃ bhekṣaṃ tu yācitam

Or else he may live by the 'undead' or, if need be, by the 'dead': what is unasked-for would be the 'undead', but begged alms is the 'dead'.

AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition

KuP 2 25.13

कुशूलधान्यको वा स्यात् कुम्भीधान्यक एव वा । त्र्यहैहिको वापि भवेदश्वस्तनिक एव च

kuśūladhānyako vā syāt kumbhīdhānyaka eva vā / tryahaihiko vāpi bhavedaśvastanika eva ca

Or he may be one who keeps grain in a granary, or one who keeps grain in a jar, or one who has (only) a three days' store, or even one who has no store for the morrow.

AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition

KuP 2 25.14

चतुर्णामपि चैतेषां द्विजानां गृहमेधिनाम् । श्रेयान् परः परो ज्ञेयो धर्मतो लोकजित्तमः

caturṇāmapi caiteṣāṃ dvijānāṃ gṛhamedhinām / śreyān paraḥ paro jñeyo dharmato lokajittamaḥ

And of these four twice-born householders, each later one is to be known as better according to dharma, (the last being) the foremost conqueror of the worlds.

AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition

KuP 2 25.15

षट्कर्मैको भवत्येषां त्रिभिरन्यः प्रवर्तते । द्वाभ्यामेकश्चतुर्थस्तु ब्रह्मसत्रेण जीवति

ṣaṭkarmaiko bhavatyeṣāṃ tribhiranyaḥ pravartate / dvābhyāmekaścaturthastu brahmasatreṇa jīvati

Of these, one performs the six acts, another proceeds with three, one with two, while the fourth lives by the brahma-sattra.

AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition

KuP 2 25.16

वर्तयंस्तु शिलोञ्छाभ्यामग्निहोत्रपरायणः । इष्टीः पार्वायणान्तीयाः केवला निर्वपेत् सदा

vartayaṃstu śiloñchābhyāmagnihotraparāyaṇaḥ / iṣṭīḥ pārvāyaṇāntīyāḥ kevalā nirvapet sadā

But subsisting by the two kinds of gleaning and devoted to the agnihotra, he should always offer only the iṣṭi sacrifices ending with the parvāyaṇa.

AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition — the model flagged this verse as uncertain

KuP 2 25.17

न लोकवृतिं वर्तेत वृत्तिहेतोः कथञ्चन । अजिह्मामशठां शुद्धां जीवेद् ब्राह्मणजीविकाम्

na lokavṛtiṃ varteta vṛttihetoḥ kathañcana / ajihmāmaśaṭhāṃ śuddhāṃ jīved brāhmaṇajīvikām

He should in no way follow the world's way of living for the sake of livelihood; he should live by the brahmin's mode of life, which is unbent, unguileful, and pure.

AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition

KuP 2 25.18

याचित्वा वापि सद्भ्यो ऽन्नं पितॄन्देवांस्तु तोषयेत् । याचयेद् वा शुचिं दान्तं न तृप्येत स्वयं ततः

yācitvā vāpi sadbhyo 'nnaṃ pitṝndevāṃstu toṣayet / yācayed vā śuciṃ dāntaṃ na tṛpyeta svayaṃ tataḥ

Or, having begged food from the good, he should gratify the ancestors and the gods; or he may have a pure and self-controlled man beg (for him), and should not himself eat to satiety thereafter.

AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition

KuP 2 25.19

यस्तु द्रव्यार्जनं कृत्वा गृहस्थस्तोषयेन्न तु । देवान् पितृंश्च विधिना शुनां योनिं व्रजत्यसौ

yastu dravyārjanaṃ kṛtvā gṛhasthastoṣayenna tu / devān pitṛṃśca vidhinā śunāṃ yoniṃ vrajatyasau

But the householder who, having acquired wealth, does not gratify the gods and the ancestors according to rule — he goes to the womb of dogs.

AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition

KuP 2 25.20

धर्मश्चार्थश्च कामश्च श्रेयो मोक्षश्चतुष्टयम् । धर्माविरुद्धः कामः स्याद् ब्राह्मणानां तु नेतरः

dharmaścārthaśca kāmaśca śreyo mokṣaścatuṣṭayam / dharmāviruddhaḥ kāmaḥ syād brāhmaṇānāṃ tu netaraḥ

Dharma, wealth, pleasure, and the highest good, release — (these are) the four; for brahmins pleasure should be that which is not opposed to dharma, not the other kind.

AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition

KuP 2 25.21

योर्ऽथो धर्माय नात्मार्थः सोर्ऽथो ऽनर्थस्तथेतरः । तस्मादर्थं समासाद्य दद्याद् वै जुहुयाद् यजेत्

yor'tho dharmāya nātmārthaḥ sor'tho 'narthastathetaraḥ / tasmādarthaṃ samāsādya dadyād vai juhuyād yajet

That wealth which is for dharma, not for oneself — that is (true) wealth; the other sort is no wealth. Therefore, having obtained wealth, one should give, offer oblations, and sacrifice.

AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition