Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 45

Śrāddha-vidhi for Pitṛs: Invitations, Purity, Offerings, and Conduct

Devanagari script

यज्ञोपवीतिना होमः कर्तव्यः कुशपाणिना / प्राचीनावीतिना पित्र्यं वैश्वदेवं तु होमवत्

Transliteration

yajñopavītinā homaḥ kartavyaḥ kuśapāṇinā / prācīnāvītinā pitryaṃ vaiśvadevaṃ tu homavat

Translation

Lễ hỏa cúng (homa) phải được thực hiện khi đeo dây thiêng đúng phép (upavīta) và tay cầm cỏ kuśa. Nhưng nghi lễ dành cho tổ tiên (pitrya) thì phải làm với dây thiêng đeo ngược (prācīnāvīta); còn lễ cúng Vaiśvadeva được thực hiện giống như một lễ homa.

Word by Word

• यज्ञोपवीतिना: by one wearing the yajñopavīta
• यज्ञोपवीतिना: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञोपवीतिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (यज्ञस्य उपवीतम् → यज्ञोपवीत; तद्वान् = यज्ञोपवीतिन्); पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• होमः: the oblation/offerings (homa)
• होमः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: होम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• कर्तव्यः: must be performed
• कर्तव्यः: Vidhi (विधि/obligation)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कर्तव्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्यय (gerundive/obligatory): ‘to be done’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (होमस्य)

• कुशपाणिना: with kuśa-grass in hand
• कुशपाणिना: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुश + पाणि (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कुशः पाणौ यस्य/with kuśa in hand); पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• प्राचीनावीतिना: by one with prācīnāvīta (thread worn in reverse)
• प्राचीनावीतिना: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राचीन + आवीतिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (प्राचीनं आवीतं यस्य/one wearing the thread in prācīna position); पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• पित्र्यम्: the ancestral (rite/oblation)
• पित्र्यम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृय/पित्र्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; ‘ancestral rite/for pitṛs’

• वैश्वदेवम्: the vaiśvadeva offering (to all gods)
• वैश्वदेवम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्वदेव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (विश्वे देवाः → वैश्वदेव); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तु: but/and
• तु: Sambandha-nipāta (सम्बन्ध-निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle): contrast/emphasis

• होमवत्: as in homa / homa-like
• होमवत्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: होम + वत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (तुल्ययोगे -वत् suffix): ‘like homa/in the manner of homa’

Speaker

Sūta (traditional narrator) conveying the Kurma Purana’s dharma-instructions in a teaching context

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: vira

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Vaiśvadeva
• Homa
• Yajñopavīta
• Kuśa

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

This verse does not directly define Ātman; it emphasizes disciplined Vaidika karma (homa, pitṛ-kārya, Vaiśvadeva) as a dharmic foundation that, in the Kurma Purana’s broader synthesis, supports inner purification leading toward Self-knowledge.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No seated meditation is described; the practice highlighted is karma-yoga in the form of daily sacred duties—performing homa with correct ācamana/ācāra markers (upavīta/prācīnāvīta) and mindful ritual precision, which the Purana treats as preparatory discipline for higher yoga and devotion.

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

It does not explicitly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu; indirectly, it reflects the Purana’s integrative stance where orthodox Vedic rites (often shared across Śaiva-Vaiṣṇava communities) coexist with later theological teachings, showing harmony between ritual order and the text’s broader theistic synthesis.