Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 22
Aśauca-vidhi — Rules of Birth/Death Impurity, Sapinda Circles, and Śrāddha Sequence
यदि स्यात् सूतके सूतिर्मरणे वा मृतिर्भवेत् / शेषेणैव भवेच्छुद्धिरहः शेषे त्रिरात्रकम्
yadi syāt sūtake sūtirmaraṇe vā mṛtirbhavet / śeṣeṇaiva bhavecchuddhirahaḥ śeṣe trirātrakam
If, during sūtaka (birth-impurity), another birth occurs, or during death-impurity another death occurs, purity is attained by counting only the remaining portion of the already-running term. But if only part of a day remains, the purification period is to be reckoned as three nights.
Traditional Purana narrator (Sūta/authorial dharma-instruction voice) conveying varṇāśrama-dharma rules
Primary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
This verse does not directly define Ātman; it establishes śauca (ritual purity) norms that traditionally support disciplined dharma and yogic life, which in the Kurma Purana ultimately culminate in higher knowledge and devotion.
No specific meditation is taught here; instead, it gives prerequisite conduct—managing aśauca/sūtaka and observing correct purification time—often treated as preparatory discipline (niyama/śauca) for mantra-japa, pūjā, and yogic observances emphasized elsewhere in the Kurma Purana (including Pāśupata-oriented practice).
The verse is primarily dharma-legal rather than theological; indirectly, it reflects the Purana’s integrative framework in which shared dharma and purity disciplines apply across Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava worship, supporting a unified religious practice.