Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 89
Śrāddha-vidhi for Pitṛs: Invitations, Purity, Offerings, and Conduct
भोजयेद् वापि जीवन्तं यथाकामं तु भक्तितः / न जीवन्तमतिक्रम्य ददाति श्रूयते श्रुतिः
bhojayed vāpi jīvantaṃ yathākāmaṃ tu bhaktitaḥ / na jīvantamatikramya dadāti śrūyate śrutiḥ
Hãy, với lòng sùng kính, nuôi ăn người đang sống theo điều họ mong muốn. Śruti tuyên dạy rằng không nên bỏ qua người sống mà đem dâng (lễ vật) nơi khác.
Lord Kūrma (Vishnu) instructing in a dharma-upadeśa context
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
Indirectly: it frames dharma as practical compassion—honoring the divine presence in embodied beings by serving the living first, which supports purity of mind (citta-śuddhi) conducive to Self-knowledge.
No direct yogic technique is taught; the verse emphasizes karma-yoga-like discipline—devotional service (bhakti) expressed through feeding and ethical giving, which the Kurma Purana treats as preparatory support for higher sādhana (including Pāśupata-oriented practice elsewhere).
It does so implicitly through shared dharma authority: the teaching appeals to Śruti as the supreme pramāṇa, a common ground in the Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis where right action and devotion are upheld as universal duties.