Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 42
Aśauca-vidhi — Rules of Birth/Death Impurity, Sapinda Circles, and Śrāddha Sequence
षड्रात्रं वा त्रिरात्रं स्यादेकरात्रं क्रमेण हि / वैश्यक्षत्रियविप्राणां शूद्रेष्वाशौचमेव तु
ṣaḍrātraṃ vā trirātraṃ syādekarātraṃ krameṇa hi / vaiśyakṣatriyaviprāṇāṃ śūdreṣvāśaucameva tu
Der Reihenfolge nach beträgt die aśauca-Zeit sechs Nächte, drei Nächte oder eine Nacht—für Vaiśya, Kṣatriya und Vipra (Brāhmaṇa) jeweils. Im Falle des Śūdra wird aśauca nur gemäß der Vorschrift anerkannt, mit geringstmöglicher Observanz.
Sūta (narrator) conveying the Kurma Purana’s dharma-teaching in context
Primary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
This verse is primarily a dharma-śāstra injunction on āśauca durations by varṇa; it does not directly teach ātman-metaphysics, but it supports the Purāṇic aim of inner purity through regulated conduct.
No specific yoga practice is taught here; the emphasis is on śauca/āśauca discipline, which functions as an ethical-ritual foundation that complements later Kurma Purana teachings on devotion and yogic restraint.
This verse does not explicitly discuss Śiva–Viṣṇu unity; it belongs to the dharma section. In the Kurma Purana’s broader synthesis, such dharma regulations are framed as supportive of devotion to the one Supreme (Hari-Hara) taught elsewhere.