Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 19
Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas and the Sin-destroying Power of Viṣṇu-smaraṇa
राज्ञैव शिक्षा कर्तव्या इति शास्तेषु निश्चयः । ब्राह्मणीनां वधे त्वर्द्धं पादः स्यात्कन्यकावधे ॥ १९ ॥
rājñaiva śikṣā kartavyā iti śāsteṣu niścayaḥ | brāhmaṇīnāṃ vadhe tvarddhaṃ pādaḥ syātkanyakāvadhe || 19 ||
تحسم الشاسترا أن إنزال العقوبة لا يكون إلا بيد الملك. فإذا قُتلت امرأةٌ براهمنية (brāhmaṇī) خُفِّفت العقوبة إلى النصف؛ وإذا قُتلت فتاةٌ غير متزوجة خُفِّفت إلى الربع.
Narada (instructional dharma discourse context within Narada Purana)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
It frames punishment as a dharmic function of kingship (rājadharma), emphasizing that justice must be administered through lawful authority and that śāstra recognizes graded moral gravity requiring proportionate expiation.
Indirectly, it supports bhakti by upholding dharma and social order; in Purāṇic teaching, stable rājadharma protects religious life, enabling worship, vows, and Vaiṣṇava practice to flourish.
It reflects Dharmaśāstra-style applied jurisprudence (nyāya/daṇḍanīti) rather than a specific Vedāṅga; the practical takeaway is the śāstric rule that legal punishment is the king’s mandate and is graded by the offense.