Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 93
Śrāddha-vidhi for Pitṛs: Invitations, Purity, Offerings, and Conduct
मृताहनि तु कर्तव्यमेकोदिष्टं विधानतः / अशौचे स्वे परिक्षीणे काम्यं वै कामतः पुनः
mṛtāhani tu kartavyamekodiṣṭaṃ vidhānataḥ / aśauce sve parikṣīṇe kāmyaṃ vai kāmataḥ punaḥ
Sa mismong araw ng pagpanaw, dapat isagawa ayon sa tuntunin ang ekoddiṣṭa na śrāddha, ang handog na nag-iisa. Kapag natapos na ang sariling panahon ng aśauca (ritwal na karumihan), ang mga kāmya na ritwal na kusang-loob ay maaari muling gawin ayon sa nais.
Sūta (narrator) relaying the Kurma Purana’s dharma-śāstra instruction (śrāddha and aśauca context)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
This verse is primarily dharma-vidhi (ritual law) rather than metaphysics: it regulates conduct after death in order to uphold ṛta/dharma. The implied spiritual principle is that disciplined duty (niyama) supports inner purity, which is a prerequisite for higher knowledge of the Self taught elsewhere in the Purana.
No direct yogic technique is taught here; the emphasis is on niyama—observance of prescribed rites (ekoddiṣṭa) and respecting aśauca boundaries. In the Kurma Purana’s broader synthesis, such disciplined observance stabilizes the mind and prepares one for devotion and yoga taught in later doctrinal portions.
The verse does not explicitly mention Shiva–Vishnu unity; it presents shared dharma applicable across sectarian lines. In the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis, śrāddha and purity rules are treated as universal supports for bhakti and yoga directed to the one Supreme (Īśvara) revered as both Shiva and Vishnu in different contexts.