Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 24

Śrāddha-Kāla-Nirṇaya: Proper Times, Nakṣatra Fruits, Tīrtha Merit, and Offerings for Ancestral Rites

Devanagari script

कर्मारम्भेषु सर्वेषु कुर्यादाभ्युदयं पुनः / पुत्रजन्मादिषु श्राद्धं पार्वणं पर्वणि स्मृतम्

Transliteration

karmārambheṣu sarveṣu kuryādābhyudayaṃ punaḥ / putrajanmādiṣu śrāddhaṃ pārvaṇaṃ parvaṇi smṛtam

Translation

凡诸事业之初，当复行吉祥之阿毗优陀耶迦（Ābhyudayika）仪。于生子等喜庆之时，所规定之施罗陀为帕尔瓦那（Pārvaṇa）；而在节庆或月分圣日（parvan）之际，亦当忆念帕尔瓦那施罗陀为应行之法。

Word by Word

• कर्म-आरम्भेषु: in all undertakings/commencements of actions
• कर्म-आरम्भेषु: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + आरम्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कर्मणाम् आरम्भेषु)

• सर्वेषु: in all
• सर्वेषु: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (कर्मारम्भेषु)

• कुर्यात्: should do/perform
• कुर्यात्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम

• आभ्युदयम्: the ābhyudaya (prosperity) śrāddha
• आभ्युदयम्: Karma (कर्म/object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आभ्युदय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मपदम

• पुनः: again; moreover
• पुनः: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/पुनरावृत्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (adverb)

• पुत्र-जन्म-आदिषु: on occasions like a son's birth, etc.
• पुत्र-जन्म-आदिषु: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + जन्म (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (पुत्रस्य जन्म; जन्मादयः)

• श्राद्धम्: śrāddha
• श्राद्धम्: Karma (कर्म/object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अत्र विधेय-निर्देशे प्रथमा (topic)

• पार्वणम्: pārvaṇa (performed on parvan)
• पार्वणम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पार्वण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (श्राद्धम्)

• पर्वणि: on the parvan (fortnightly junction)
• पर्वणि: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्वन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• स्मृतम्: is declared/remembered
• स्मृतम्: Kriya (क्रिया/predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: स्मृ-धातोः क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (PPP); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय (is said/remembered)

Speaker

Traditional Purāṇic narrator (instructional voice within the Kurma Purana’s dharma-śāstra section)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Śrāddha
• Ābhyudayika
• Pārvaṇa
• Parvan
• Pitṛs

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 frames dharma as sanctifying action through śrāddha and auspicious rites, implying that spiritual life in the Kurma Purana is supported by disciplined karma aligned with śāstra.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No explicit yoga technique is taught here; instead, it emphasizes karmayoga-style purity of beginnings—starting undertakings with ābhyudayika observances and honoring pitṛs—seen as supportive disciplines (saṃskāra and śuddhi) that stabilize later sādhana.

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

The verse is ritual-prescriptive and does not mention Shiva or Vishnu directly; within the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis, such dharma instructions are treated as universally valid supports for devotion and liberation regardless of the chosen deity-form.