Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 81
Aśauca-vidhi — Rules of Birth/Death Impurity, Sapinda Circles, and Śrāddha Sequence
द्वितीये ऽहनि कर्तव्यं क्षुरकर्म सबान्धवैः / चतुर्थे बान्धवैः सर्वैरस्थनां संचयनं भवेत् / पूर्वं तु भोजयेद् विप्रानयुग्मान् श्रद्धया शुचीन्
dvitīye 'hani kartavyaṃ kṣurakarma sabāndhavaiḥ / caturthe bāndhavaiḥ sarvairasthanāṃ saṃcayanaṃ bhavet / pūrvaṃ tu bhojayed viprānayugmān śraddhayā śucīn
En el segundo día debe realizarse el rito del rapado (kṣura-karma) junto con los parientes. En el cuarto día, todos los familiares han de reunirse y recoger los huesos del lugar de la cremación. Pero antes, con fe (śraddhā) y pureza, debe alimentarse a brāhmaṇas puros en número impar (no par).
Sūta (narrator) conveying traditional dharma-vidhi to the sages
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
This verse does not directly define Ātman; it teaches dharma in the form of antyeṣṭi observances, emphasizing śraddhā (faith) and śauca (purity) as supports for righteous living within the Vedic worldview.
No explicit yoga technique is taught here; the practice is karma-yoga in a dharmic sense—performing obligatory rites with inner faith and purity, which the Kurma Purana treats as a supportive discipline alongside higher teachings like Pāśupata-oriented devotion and contemplation found elsewhere.
This verse is ritual-instructional and does not mention Śiva or Viṣṇu directly; its placement in the Purāṇa reflects the broader synthesis where disciplined dharma (rites, purity, charity) is upheld as compatible with both Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava paths.