Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 83
Śrāddha-vidhi for Pitṛs: Invitations, Purity, Offerings, and Conduct
अनग्निरध्वगो वापि तथैव व्यसनान्वितः / आमश्राद्धं द्विजः कुर्याद् विधिज्ञः श्रद्धयान्वितः / तेनाग्नौ करणं कुर्यात् पिण्डांस्तेनैव निर्वपेत्
anagniradhvago vāpi tathaiva vyasanānvitaḥ / āmaśrāddhaṃ dvijaḥ kuryād vidhijñaḥ śraddhayānvitaḥ / tenāgnau karaṇaṃ kuryāt piṇḍāṃstenaiva nirvapet
இருபிறப்பினருக்கு அக்னி இல்லையெனினும், பயணத்தில் இருந்தாலும், துன்பத்தில் அகப்பட்டிருந்தாலும்—விதியை அறிந்தும், श्रद्धையுடனும் ‘ஆம-சிராத்தம்’ செய்ய வேண்டும். அதே முறையால் அக்னியில் ஆஹுதி அளித்து, அதே முறையால் பிண்டங்களையும் நிவேதிக்க வேண்டும்.
Vyasa (narrator) conveying śrāddha injunctions within the Kurma Purana’s dharma-teachings
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
This verse is primarily a dharma-vidhi instruction (ritual duty) rather than an explicit ātma-tattva teaching; it emphasizes śraddhā (faithful intention) and continuity of duty even under constraints, a practical foundation that supports inner purification valued in the Kurma Purana’s broader spiritual vision.
No direct yogic technique is taught here; the practice emphasized is disciplined performance of pitṛ-yajña (śrāddha) with śraddhā, which the Purana treats as a purifying karmic discipline that steadies the mind and upholds dharma—supportive to later contemplative teachings such as Pāśupata-oriented devotion and inner restraint.
This verse does not explicitly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu; it reflects the Purana’s integrative dharma framework where ritual obligations (like śrāddha to the Pitṛs) are upheld as part of a unified sacred order, within which Śaiva–Vaiṣṇava syntheses are taught elsewhere (notably in the Upari-bhāga’s Īśvara-gītā context).