Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 27
Karma-yoga Discipline for the Twice-born: Upanayana, Upavīta Conduct, Guru-veneration, and Alms-regimen
माता मातामही गुर्वो पितुर्मातुश्च सोदराः / श्वश्रूः पितामहीज्येष्ठा धात्री च गुरवः स्त्रियः
mātā mātāmahī gurvo piturmātuśca sodarāḥ / śvaśrūḥ pitāmahījyeṣṭhā dhātrī ca guravaḥ striyaḥ
Ibu dan nenek dari pihak ibu dipuja laksana guru; demikian pula saudari kandung ayah dan ibu. Juga ibu mertua, nenek dari pihak ayah yang tertua, serta dhātrī (inang yang membesarkan)—para wanita ini pun dipandang sebagai guru.
Sūta (narrator) conveying the Kurma Purana’s dharma-teaching context
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
Indirectly: it grounds spiritual life in dharma—cultivating humility and reverence toward those who embody care and guidance, which supports inner purification needed for Self-knowledge taught elsewhere in the Kurma Purana.
No technique is named; the verse emphasizes ethical discipline (yama-like foundations)—honoring and serving one’s gurus, especially maternal elders—seen as preparatory conduct that stabilizes the mind for mantra, worship, and contemplative practice described in the Purana’s yoga-oriented sections.
It does not directly discuss Shiva–Vishnu unity; it supports the shared dharmic framework within which the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis operates—reverence to gurus and elders as a universal prerequisite for devotion and liberation.