Previous Verse
Next Verse

Shloka 71

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

नैष्ठिकानां वनस्थानां यतीनां ब्रह्मचारिणाम् / नाशौचं कीर्त्यते सद्भिः पतिते च तथा मृते

naiṣṭhikānāṃ vanasthānāṃ yatīnāṃ brahmacāriṇām / nāśaucaṃ kīrtyate sadbhiḥ patite ca tathā mṛte

Bagi para pertapa yang teguh, penghuni rimba, para yati (pengemis-asketik), dan brahmacārin, orang-orang saleh menyatakan bahawa tiada āśauca (kenajisan ritual) — sekalipun melibatkan orang yang jatuh (patita), dan demikian juga ketika kematian berlaku.

naiṣṭhikānāmof the steadfast (vowed) ones
naiṣṭhikānām:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
TypeNoun
Rootnaiṣṭhika (प्रातिपदिक)
Formषष्ठी (Genitive/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन (Plural), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine)
vanasthānāmof forest-dwellers
vanasthānām:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootvanastha (प्रातिपदिक)
Formसमास: वन + स्थ (तत्पुरुष, locative-determinative sense ‘in the forest’); षष्ठी (Genitive), बहुवचन, पुंलिङ्ग
yatīnāmof ascetics
yatīnām:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootyati (प्रातिपदिक)
Formषष्ठी (Genitive), बहुवचन, पुंलिङ्ग
brahmacāriṇāmof brahmacārins (celibate students)
brahmacāriṇām:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootbrahmacārin (प्रातिपदिक)
Formसमास: ब्रह्म + चारिन् (तत्पुरुष); षष्ठी (Genitive), बहुवचन, पुंलिङ्ग
nanot
na:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Negation marker)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootna (अव्यय)
Formनिषेध (particle of negation/निषेध-अव्यय)
aśaucamimpurity (ritual impurity)
aśaucam:
Karma (कर्म/Object)
TypeNoun
Rootaśauca (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nominative/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)
kīrtyateis declared/mentioned
kīrtyate:
Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
TypeVerb
Rootkīrt (धातु)
Formलट् (Present/लट्), कर्मणि प्रयोग (Passive), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)
sadbhiḥby the good (people)
sadbhiḥ:
Karana (करण/Instrument)
TypeNoun
Rootsat (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया (Instrumental/करण), बहुवचन (Plural)
patitein the case of a fallen person
patite:
Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Locative circumstance)
TypeNoun
Rootpatita (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त from √pat ‘to fall’)
Formसप्तमी (Locative/अधिकरण), एकवचन, पुंलिङ्ग; ‘when (one is) fallen’
caand
ca:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootca (अव्यय)
Formसमुच्चय (conjunction/समुच्चय-अव्यय)
tathālikewise
tathā:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Adverbial)
TypeIndeclinable
Roottathā (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय (adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
mṛtein the case of one who has died
mṛte:
Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Locative circumstance)
TypeNoun
Rootmṛta (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त from √mṛ ‘to die’)
Formसप्तमी (Locative/अधिकरण), एकवचन, पुंलिङ्ग; ‘when (one is) dead’

Lord Kurma (Vishnu) instructing in dharma-śāstra style on āśauca rules

Primary Rasa: shanta

K
Kurma
V
Vishnu
A
Ashauca
Y
Yati
B
Brahmacharin
V
Vanaprastha

FAQs

By exempting dedicated ascetics from external impurity rules, the verse implies a priority of inner purity and steadfast Brahman-orientation over ritual conditions—pointing toward the Atman-centered ideal where realization and disciplined renunciation transcend social-ritual fluctuations.

The verse highlights the ascetic disciplines associated with brahmacarya, vānaprastha restraint, and yati-life—foundational supports for meditative steadiness (dhyāna) and yogic continence, which the Kurma Purana frames within a dharmic path compatible with Pāśupata-leaning renunciation and devotion.

While not naming Shiva directly, the verse reflects the Purana’s synthesis: the highest spiritual aim is inner renunciant purity and yogic steadiness—an ideal shared across Shaiva (Pāśupata) and Vaishnava frameworks, where devotion and discipline converge beyond merely external ritual markers.