Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 31

Aśauca-vidhi — Rules of Birth/Death Impurity, Sapinda Circles, and Śrāddha Sequence

Devanagari script

मातामहानां मरणे त्रिरात्रं स्यादशौचकम् / एकोदकानां मरणे सूतके चैतदेव हि

Transliteration

mātāmahānāṃ maraṇe trirātraṃ syādaśaucakam / ekodakānāṃ maraṇe sūtake caitadeva hi

Translation

മാതാമഹന്മാർ (നാനാ/നാനി) മരിച്ചാൽ മൂന്ന് രാത്രികളുടെ അശൗചം. ഏകോദകർ (ഒരേ ജല-തർപ്പണ പരമ്പരയിലെ ബന്ധുക്കൾ) മരണമുണ്ടായാലും, സൂതകത്തിൽ (ജന്മാശൗചം) പോലും ഇതേ നിയമം തന്നെയാണ്.

Word by Word

• मातामहानाम्: of maternal grandfathers
• मातामहानाम्: सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; Genitive plural

• मरणे: in/at the death
• मरणे: अधिकरण (सप्तमी/Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; Locative singular

• त्रिरात्रम्: three nights (for three nights)
• त्रिरात्रम्: कर्म (द्वितीया/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि + रात्र (प्रातिपदिक; समाहार/कालवाचक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; time-measure noun

• स्यात्: should be/is prescribed to be
• स्यात्: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; Parasmaipada

• अशौचकम्: impurity (period of ritual impurity)
• अशौचकम्: कर्म/विधेय (Predicate complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अशौचक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; predicate nominative/accusative with 'स्यात्'

• एकोदकानाम्: of those sharing the same water (sapinda-like group)
• एकोदकानाम्: सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक + उदक (प्रातिपदिक; ‘one water’ i.e., sharing libations)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; Genitive plural

• मरणे: in/at the death
• मरणे: अधिकरण (सप्तमी/Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; Locative singular

• सूतके: in the birth-impurity (sūtaka)
• सूतके: अधिकरण (सप्तमी/Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूतक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; Locative singular

• च: and
• च: समुच्चय (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय; conjunction

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: विधेय/निर्देश (Deictic/predicate reference)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; demonstrative pronoun

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: अवधारण (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय; emphatic particle

• हि: for/indeed
• हि: निपात (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात; हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थ particle

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) conveying traditional dharma rules as taught in the Kurma Purana discourse

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Characters & Entities

• Ashauca
• Sutaka
• Ekodaka
• Mātāmaha

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

This verse is primarily a dharma injunction on aśauca and sūtaka; it does not directly teach Ātman-doctrine, but it frames the embodied social order (varṇāśrama) within which higher knowledge and worship are to be practiced with ritual discipline.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No specific yoga practice is taught in this verse; instead, it supports the purāṇic synthesis where inner sādhana (including Pāśupata-style devotion and restraint) is complemented by outer purity rules governing mourning and birth-impurity.

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

The verse does not explicitly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu; its contribution is contextual—Kurma Purana integrates devotion and yoga with dharma, presenting ritual order as compatible with the broader Śaiva–Vaiṣṇava spiritual synthesis found elsewhere in the text.