Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 96
Śrāddha-vidhi for Pitṛs: Invitations, Purity, Offerings, and Conduct
मातृश्राद्धं तु पूर्वं स्यात् पितॄणां स्यादनन्तरम् / ततो मातामहानां तु वृद्धौ श्राद्धत्रयं स्मृतम्
mātṛśrāddhaṃ tu pūrvaṃ syāt pitṝṇāṃ syādanantaram / tato mātāmahānāṃ tu vṛddhau śrāddhatrayaṃ smṛtam
Das Śrāddha für die Mutter soll zuerst vollzogen werden, danach das Śrāddha für die Ahnen väterlicherseits. Dann auch für die Großväter mütterlicherseits—wenn man in vorgerücktem Alter ist—gedenkt die Überlieferung einer dreifachen Folge von Śrāddhas.
Lord Kūrma (Vishnu) instructing on dharma and śrāddha procedure
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
This verse is primarily procedural (śrāddha-krama) rather than metaphysical; indirectly, it supports the dharmic view that honoring one’s lineage and obligations purifies the mind (citta-śuddhi), which is a traditional prerequisite for realizing the ātman in yoga and jñāna.
No specific yogic technique is taught in this line; it emphasizes karma-yoga in the form of gṛhastha-dharma—performing ancestral rites in the proper order—understood in the Purāṇic synthesis as a discipline that steadies conduct and supports later meditation and devotion.
The verse does not directly mention Śiva-Viṣṇu unity; however, within the Kūrma Purāṇa’s broader Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis, correct dharma (such as śrāddha) is presented as aligned with the one supreme reality revered through multiple divine forms.