Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 4
Śrāddha-Kāla-Nirṇaya: Proper Times, Nakṣatra Fruits, Tīrtha Merit, and Offerings for Ancestral Rites
अमावास्याष्टकास्तिस्त्रः पौषमासादिषु त्रिषु / तिस्त्रश्चान्वष्टकाः पुण्या माघी पञ्चदशी तथा
amāvāsyāṣṭakāstistraḥ pauṣamāsādiṣu triṣu / tistraścānvaṣṭakāḥ puṇyā māghī pañcadaśī tathā
Hay tres observancias Aṣṭakā vinculadas al día de Amāvāsyā (luna nueva), que ocurren en los tres meses que comienzan con Pauṣa; y hay también tres días Anvaṣṭakā, todos meritorios—junto con la decimoquinta tithi (plenilunio) de Māgha.
Sūta (narrator) conveying the Kurma Purana’s dharma-vidhi on Śrāddha timings
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
This verse is primarily dharma-vidhi (ritual timing) rather than direct ātma-tattva teaching; it supports the Purāṇic view that right action (karma) performed at proper sacred times purifies the mind, preparing it for higher knowledge of the Self taught elsewhere (including the Kurma Purana’s yoga and īśvara-centered instruction).
No explicit yoga technique is taught here; instead, it highlights disciplined observance of tithi-based rites (Aṣṭakā, Anvaṣṭakā, Māgha Pūrṇimā) for Pitṛs, which functions as a dharmic foundation—inner steadiness and purity—that the Kurma Purana later aligns with devotion and yogic pursuit.
The verse itself does not mention Śiva or Viṣṇu directly; its place in the Kurma Purana reflects the text’s integrative approach where Varnāśrama-dharma and Pitṛ rites are upheld alongside later teachings that harmonize devotion to Īśvara across Śaiva–Vaiṣṇava streams.