Shloka 9
Śrāddha-Kāla-Nirṇaya: Proper Times, Nakṣatra Fruits, Tīrtha Merit, and Offerings for Ancestral Rites
स्वर्गं च लभते कृत्वा कृत्तिकासु द्विजोत्तमः / अपत्यमथ रोहिण्यां सौम्ये तु ब्रह्मवर्चसम्
svargaṃ ca labhate kṛtvā kṛttikāsu dvijottamaḥ / apatyamatha rohiṇyāṃ saumye tu brahmavarcasam
إذا كان القمر في كِرِتّيكَا (Kṛttikā)، فإن أفضلَ ذوي الولادتين، بإقامة النسك المأثور، ينال السماء. وفي روهِني (Rohiṇī) ينال ذريةً صالحة؛ وفي سَوْمْيَا (Saumya) ينال brahma-varcas: بهاءً روحياً ولمعاناً ويدياً.
Sūta (narrating the Kurma Purana’s vrata-teachings as taught by the tradition)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
Indirectly: it frames dharmic observance as a purifier that yields higher states (svarga, brahma-varcas). In the Kurma tradition, such purity and sattva support inner realization, preparing the mind for knowledge of the Atman taught more explicitly elsewhere (e.g., Ishvara Gita sections).
The verse highlights vrata/tapas aligned with lunar-nakshatra timing—an ascetic discipline that strengthens self-restraint (niyama), ritual purity, and focused intention (saṅkalpa). In Kurma Purana’s broader Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis, these become supportive auxiliaries to mantra, worship, and meditative steadiness central to Pashupata-oriented practice.
It does not name Shiva or Vishnu directly; instead it reflects the shared puranic principle that disciplined dharma and vow-based purity generate spiritual potency (brahma-varcas). In the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis, such fruits are understood as arising through the one Supreme Lord revered in both Shaiva and Vaishnava modes.