Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 74

Brahmacārin-Dharma: Guru-Sevā, Daily Vedic Study, Gāyatrī-Japa, and Anadhyāya Regulations

Devanagari script

मार्गशीर्षे तथा पौषे माघमासे तथैव च / तिस्त्रो ऽष्टकाः समाख्याता कृष्णपक्षेतु सूरिभिः

Transliteration

mārgaśīrṣe tathā pauṣe māghamāse tathaiva ca / tistro 'ṣṭakāḥ samākhyātā kṛṣṇapakṣetu sūribhiḥ

Translation

Dans les mois de Mārgaśīrṣa, de Pauṣa et aussi de Māgha, les sages déclarent qu’il est reconnu trois observances d’Aṣṭakā—chacune devant être accomplie durant la quinzaine sombre (kṛṣṇa-pakṣa).

Word by Word

• mārgaśīrṣe: in Mārgaśīrṣa (month)
• mārgaśīrṣe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mārgaśīrṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (सप्तमी) Singular; month-name

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb (तथा) = 'likewise'

• pauṣe: in Pauṣa (month)
• pauṣe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pauṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (सप्तमी) Singular; month-name

• māgha-māse: in the month of Māgha
• māgha-māse: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māgha (प्रातिपदिक) + māsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (सप्तमी) Singular; तत्पुरुष = 'month of Māgha'

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; emphatic particle

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; conjunction

• tisraḥ: three
• tisraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (प्रथमा) Plural; numeral adjective

• aṣṭakāḥ: aṣṭakā observances/days
• aṣṭakāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṣṭakā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (प्रथमा) Plural

• samākhyātāḥ: are designated
• samākhyātāḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√khyā (धातु) / samākhyāta (कृदन्त; PPP)
• Form: Past passive participle used predicatively; Feminine, Nominative (प्रथमा) Plural; 'are called/declared'

• kṛṣṇa-pakṣe: in the dark fortnight
• kṛṣṇa-pakṣe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + pakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (सप्तमी) Singular; तत्पुरुष = 'dark fortnight'

• tu: indeed/but
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; contrast particle

• sūribhiḥ: by the sages/learned ones
• sūribhiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (तृतीया) Plural

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) conveying the traditional ruling of the sages within the Kurma Purana’s dharma discourse

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Aṣṭakā
• Kṛṣṇa-pakṣa
• Mārgaśīrṣa
• Pauṣa
• Māgha

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

How does this verse explain the nature of the Supreme Self (Atman)?

It does not directly define Ātman; instead, it supports dharma by prescribing sacred times for pitṛ-kārya (ancestral rites), which the Purāṇa treats as a means of maintaining ṛta (cosmic order) and inner purity—conditions conducive to higher spiritual knowledge.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No explicit yoga technique is taught in this verse. Indirectly, it reflects the Kurma Purana’s synthesis: disciplined observance of nitya-naimittika duties (like Śrāddha/Aṣṭakā) steadies the mind (citta-śuddhi), which is presented elsewhere as supportive for meditation and higher practices such as Pāśupata-oriented devotion and contemplation.

How does this verse depict the relationship between Shiva and Vishnu?

The verse is ritual-calendar focused and does not mention Śiva or Viṣṇu explicitly. In the Kurma Purana’s broader Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis, such dharma prescriptions are framed as universally authoritative, serving devotion to the one Supreme expressed through multiple divine forms.