Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 77

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

Devanagari script

आहिताग्निर्यथान्यायं दग्धव्यस्त्रिभिरग्निभिः / अनाहिताग्निर्गृह्येण लौकिकेनेतरो जनः

Transliteration

āhitāgniryathānyāyaṃ dagdhavyastribhiragnibhiḥ / anāhitāgnirgṛhyeṇa laukikenetaro janaḥ

Translation

Người đã lập các lửa tế thiêng (āhitāgni) thì theo đúng pháp phải được hỏa táng bằng ba ngọn lửa. Còn người chưa lập lửa ấy thì được hỏa táng bằng lửa gia đình (gṛhya) hoặc lửa thường (laukika)—đó là lệ dành cho người khác.

Word by Word

• आहित-अग्निः: one who has installed (sacred) fires
• आहित-अग्निः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आहित (कृदन्त; आ-धा धातु) + अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष ‘one who has established the sacred fires’

• यथा: according to
• यथा: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमान/प्रकारार्थक-अव्यय; adverb ‘as/according to’

• न्यायम्: proper rule/method
• न्यायम्: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: न्याय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; accusative singular used adverbially ‘in the proper manner’

• दग्धव्यः: should be cremated
• दग्धव्यः: Vidhi/Prayojya (विधेय/आज्ञार्थ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दह् (धातु) + तव्यत् (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्ययान्त (तव्यत्), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; gerundive ‘is to be burnt/cremated’

• त्रिभिः: by three
• त्रिभिः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: त्रिलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; instrumental plural ‘by three’

• अग्निभिः: fires
• अग्निभिः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; instrumental plural ‘by fires’

• अनाहित-अग्निः: one without installed sacred fires
• अनाहित-अग्निः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनाहित (कृदन्त; आ-धा धातु) + अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष ‘one who has not installed the sacred fires’

• गृह्येण: with the domestic (gṛhya) (fire)
• गृह्येण: Karana (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गृह्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; instrumental singular ‘with the domestic (fire/rite)’

• लौकिकेन: with the ordinary (fire)
• लौकिकेन: Karana (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लौकिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; instrumental singular ‘with the ordinary/worldly (fire)’

• इतरः: the other (person)
• इतरः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इतर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; nominative singular ‘the other’

• जनः: person
• जनः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; nominative singular

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) conveying dharma-vidhi to the assembled sages (Naimiṣāraṇya frame)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Characters & Entities

• Agni
• Gārhapatya
• Āhavanīya
• Dakṣiṇāgni
• Gṛhya-Agni

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

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

This verse is primarily a dharma-vidhi statement about funeral procedure; implicitly, it upholds the Vedic view that the embodied person departs while rites (like cremation) purify the remaining body, supporting the broader Purāṇic framework where the ātman is distinct from the perishable body.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No direct yoga technique is taught here; the verse emphasizes ritual discipline (agni-maintenance) as part of dharma, which in the Kurma Purana functions as a preparatory foundation for higher sādhana (including Pāśupata-oriented devotion and contemplation taught elsewhere).

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

The verse does not explicitly mention Shiva or Vishnu; its contribution is contextual—affirming Vedic ritual order that the Kurma Purana later harmonizes with the text’s broader Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis and devotional-yogic teachings.