Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 87
Aśauca-vidhi — Rules of Birth/Death Impurity, Sapinda Circles, and Śrāddha Sequence
पितॄनावाहयेत् तत्र पुनः प्रेतं च निर्दिशेत् / ये सपिण्डीकृताः प्रेतान तेषां स्यात् पृथक्क्रियाः / यस्तु कुर्यात् पृथक् पिण्डं पितृहा सो ऽभिजायते
pitṝnāvāhayet tatra punaḥ pretaṃ ca nirdiśet / ye sapiṇḍīkṛtāḥ pretāna teṣāṃ syāt pṛthakkriyāḥ / yastu kuryāt pṛthak piṇḍaṃ pitṛhā so 'bhijāyate
There he should again invoke the Pitṛs (ancestral Fathers) and also indicate the offering for the preta (departed spirit). Those departed ones who have already been made “of one piṇḍa” through sapiṇḍīkaraṇa should not receive separate rites; but whoever makes a separate piṇḍa-offering for them becomes a pitṛ-hā, one who harms the Fathers.
Traditional narrator (Purāṇic discourse) instructing ritual procedure; within the Kurma Purana’s didactic voice
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
It does not directly define Ātman; it teaches dharma through correct Pitṛ-yajña procedure—maintaining sacred order (ṛta/dharma) in rites that support the living and the ancestral continuum.
No explicit yoga technique is taught here; the emphasis is on karma-yoga in the form of disciplined ritual action (niyama) within Varnāśrama Dharma—performing śrāddha correctly and without confusion of offerings.
This verse is ritual-instructional rather than sectarian; it reflects the Purāṇic synthesis by prioritizing dharma (right action) as a shared foundation across Shaiva-Vaishnava traditions, even when the text elsewhere integrates Pāśupata and Vaiṣṇava teachings.