Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 36

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

Devanagari script

यत् तत्र क्रियते कर्म पैतृकं ब्राह्मणान् प्रति / तत्सर्वमेव कर्तव्यं वैश्वदैवत्यपूर्वकम्

Transliteration

yat tatra kriyate karma paitṛkaṃ brāhmaṇān prati / tatsarvameva kartavyaṃ vaiśvadaivatyapūrvakam

Translation

凡在彼处为婆罗门而行的祖先祭仪——一切都应如法完成，但须先行毗湿瓦提婆（Vaiśvadeva，普遍诸神之供献）。

Word by Word

• yat: whatever/that which
• yat: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/relative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Nominative/Accusative (1/2-प्रथमा/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); relative pronoun

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb of place (देशवाचक अव्यय)

• kriyate: is done
• kriyate: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Passive voice (कर्मणि प्रयोग), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• karma: rite/act
• karma: Karta (कर्ता) [of passive construction]
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Nominative (1-प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• paitṛkam: ancestral (pertaining to Pitṛs)
• paitṛkam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paitṛka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Nominative (1-प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); adjective qualifying ‘karma’

• brāhmaṇān: Brahmins
• brāhmaṇān: Sampradana/Prati (सम्प्रदान/प्रति-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2-द्वितीया), Plural (बहुवचन)

• prati: towards/for
• prati: Sampradana-nimitta (सम्प्रदान-निमित्त)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prati (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; preposition/particle indicating direction/recipient (प्रत्ययार्थक अव्यय)

• tat: that
• tat: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Nominative/Accusative (1/2-प्रथमा/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); demonstrative pronoun

• sarvam: all/entire
• sarvam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Nominative (1-प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); adjective to ‘tat’

• eva: indeed/only
• eva: Nipata (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; emphatic particle (निश्चयार्थक/अवधारण)

• kartavyam: should be done
• kartavyam: Vidhi (विधि/obligation predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (कृ धातु) + tavya (तव्यत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: Gerundive/obligative (तव्यत्-कृदन्त), Napumsaka, Nominative (1-प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); impersonal obligation

• vaiśvadaivatyapūrvakam: preceded by the Vaiśvadeva offering
• vaiśvadaivatyapūrvakam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vaiśva-daivatya (प्रातिपदिक) + pūrvaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Nominative (1-प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); adverbial adjective qualifying ‘kartavyam’; compound: vaiśvadaivatya-pūrvaka = ‘preceded by Vaiśvadeva’

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) conveying the Kurma Purana’s dharma-instructions as taught in the Purva-bhāga tradition

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: vira

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Brāhmaṇas
• Vaiśvadeva

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: it frames dharma as ordered worship—beginning with offerings to the universal deities—supporting inner purity (śuddhi) that prepares one for higher knowledge of the Self taught elsewhere in the Kurma Purana.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No specific meditative technique is stated; the verse emphasizes karmayoga-like discipline—right sequence in yajña and service to Brāhmaṇas—as a preparatory regimen that stabilizes sattva for later yoga and jñāna teachings.

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

By prioritizing Vaiśvadeva (universal divine offerings) before sectarian or specific rites, it reflects the Purana’s integrative stance: worship is oriented to the all-pervading divine principle, harmonizing Shaiva-Vaishnava practice through a shared dharmic order.