Shloka 56
Narmadā–Tīrtha-Māhātmya: Sequence of Sacred Fords and Their Fruits
पौर्णमास्याममावास्यां श्र्धं कुर्याद् यथाविधि / गजरूपा शिला तत्र तोयमध्ये व्यवस्थिता
paurṇamāsyāmamāvāsyāṃ śrdhaṃ kuryād yathāvidhi / gajarūpā śilā tatra toyamadhye vyavasthitā
On the full-moon day and on the new-moon day, one should perform the śrāddha rite according to the prescribed rule. There, in the midst of the water, stands a stone shaped like an elephant, firmly set in place.
Traditional Purana narration (a sage-narrator explaining tīrtha/vrata procedure within the Kurma Purana’s discourse)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
This verse is primarily dharma-vidhi (ritual injunction) rather than direct ātma-tattva teaching; it frames spiritual life as including disciplined ancestral rites (śrāddha) performed at sacred times and places, supporting inner purity that later aids knowledge of the Self.
No specific yogic technique is stated; the emphasis is on niyama-like discipline—performing śrāddha “yathāvidhi” on Pūrṇimā and Amāvāsyā—reflecting the Kurma Purana’s integration of inner practice with outer dharma.
The verse does not explicitly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu; it illustrates the Purana’s broader synthesis by treating dharma (rites for pitṛs at tīrthas) as a shared sacred framework within which both Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava paths are harmonized.