Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 36
Aśauca-vidhi — Rules of Birth/Death Impurity, Sapinda Circles, and Śrāddha Sequence
त्रिरात्रमसपिण्डेषु स्वगृहे संस्थितेषु च / एकाहं चास्ववर्ये स्यादेकरात्रं तदिष्यते
trirātramasapiṇḍeṣu svagṛhe saṃsthiteṣu ca / ekāhaṃ cāsvavarye syādekarātraṃ tadiṣyate
For relatives who are not sapiṇḍa, and also when death occurs among those dwelling in one’s own household, the aśauca period is prescribed as three nights. But for one’s own superior—an elder, one like a teacher—it is one day; for others, a single night is held to be proper.
Sūta (narrator) relaying the dharma-teaching as given in the Kurma Purana’s śrāddha/aśauca context
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
This verse is primarily a dharma-vidhi about aśauca (ritual impurity) durations; indirectly, it supports Atman-oriented discipline by regulating purity and social duties so that one can return to śrāddha, japa, and contemplative practice without disorder.
No specific yoga technique is taught here; the emphasis is on preparatory dharma—observing prescribed aśauca periods—so that later Vedic rites, mantra-japa, and (in the Kurma Purana’s broader vision) Pāśupata-style sādhana can be undertaken in a state of ritual and mental order.
It does not directly address Śiva–Viṣṇu theology; its contribution is practical dharma. In the Kurma Purana’s synthesis, such dharma observances form the shared foundation upon which both Vaiṣṇava devotion and Śaiva (Pāśupata) discipline are cultivated.