Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 47
Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas: Liquor, Theft, Sexual Transgression, Contact with the Fallen, and Homicide
अष्टौ वर्षाणि षट् त्रीणि कुर्याद् ब्रह्महणो व्रतम् / हत्वा तु क्षत्रियं वैश्यं शूद्रं चैव यथाक्रमम्
aṣṭau varṣāṇi ṣaṭ trīṇi kuryād brahmahaṇo vratam / hatvā tu kṣatriyaṃ vaiśyaṃ śūdraṃ caiva yathākramam
ব্রহ্মহণের প্রায়শ্চিত্ত-ব্রত আট বছর; আর ক্ষত্রিয়, বৈশ্য ও শূদ্রকে বধ করলে যথাক্রমে ছয়, তিন ও এক বছর ব্রত পালন করতে হবে।
Vyāsa (narration within a dharma-prāyaścitta teaching context to the sages)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
It does not directly define Ātman; instead it frames ethical purification (prāyaścitta) as a prerequisite for inner clarity, which the Kurma Purana elsewhere links to Self-knowledge and liberation.
The verse highlights vrata and prāyaścitta—disciplined observances that purify conduct and mind; in the Kurma Purana’s broader Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis, such purification supports steadiness for mantra, japa, and contemplative Yoga.
It does not explicitly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu; it reflects their shared dharma-framework in the Purana—moral restraint and expiation as foundations for devotion and Yoga taught across both Shaiva and Vaishnava strands.