Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 18
Aśauca-vidhi — Rules of Birth/Death Impurity, Sapinda Circles, and Śrāddha Sequence
व्रतादेशात् सपिण्डानामर्वाक् स्नानं विधीयते / सर्वेषामेव गुणिनामूर्ध्वं तु विषमं पुनः
vratādeśāt sapiṇḍānāmarvāk snānaṃ vidhīyate / sarveṣāmeva guṇināmūrdhvaṃ tu viṣamaṃ punaḥ
Menurut ketetapan vrata (nazar suci), mandi penyucian ditetapkan bagi kaum sapiṇḍa hingga suatu batas tertentu; namun bagi semua yang berakhlak dan berkelayakan, selepas batas itu peraturannya sekali lagi tidak seragam, berbeza menurut kedudukan dan keadaan.
Sūta (narrator) conveying the Kurma Purana’s dharma-vidhi on vrata and śrāddha observances
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
This verse is primarily a dharma-vidhi (ritual injunction) about purity and lineage-based observance; it does not directly teach Ātman metaphysics, but frames discipline (niyama) as a support for higher spiritual practice emphasized elsewhere in the Kurma Purana.
No direct meditation technique is stated; the focus is on snāna and vrata-niyama—external disciplines that, in the Kurma Purana’s broader Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis, function as preparatory purification for inner Yoga such as Pāśupata-oriented restraint and worship.
It does not explicitly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu; it reflects the Purana’s shared dharmic framework where vow, purity, and right conduct are treated as common foundations for devotion and Yoga, later harmonized in Shaiva-Vaishnava teachings.