Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 91
Śrāddha-vidhi for Pitṛs: Invitations, Purity, Offerings, and Conduct
अनियुक्तः सुतो यश्च शुल्कतो जायते त्विह / प्रदद्याद् बीजिने पिण्डं क्षेत्रिणे तु ततो ऽन्यथा
aniyuktaḥ suto yaśca śulkato jāyate tviha / pradadyād bījine piṇḍaṃ kṣetriṇe tu tato 'nyathā
El hijo nacido sin nombramiento autorizado (niyoga) y el hijo nacido por arreglo de śulka (precio nupcial), deben aquí ofrecer el piṇḍa, la bola de arroz funeraria, al padre engendrador, el bījī. Pero en el caso del hijo kṣetrija, es de otro modo: el piṇḍa se ofrece al esposo, dueño del campo, el kṣetrin.
Lord Kurma (as Vishnu) instructing on dharma
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
This verse is primarily dharma-śāstra in focus (lineage and śrāddha duty), not a direct Atman teaching; it implies that spiritual merit and ancestral continuity are maintained through correct ritual obligation (piṇḍa-dāna) according to dharmic definitions of fatherhood.
No explicit yoga practice is taught in this verse; its contribution is ethical-dharmic discipline—right action (dharma) and ritual correctness—treated in the Purana as supportive foundations for higher sādhana, including later Shaiva–Vaishnava syntheses such as Pāśupata-oriented devotion and restraint.
The verse does not directly mention Shiva–Vishnu unity; it reflects the Kurma Purana’s broader integrative method where Vishnu (as Kurma) teaches dharma and ritual order that also undergirds Shaiva traditions (e.g., śrāddha, purity, and lineage duties) within a shared puranic framework.