Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 10
Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas — Brahmahatyā, Association with the Fallen, and Tīrtha-Based Purification
याजनं योनिसंबन्धं तथैवाध्यापनं द्विजः / कृत्वा सद्यः पतेज्ज्ञानात् सह भोजनमेव च
yājanaṃ yonisaṃbandhaṃ tathaivādhyāpanaṃ dvijaḥ / kṛtvā sadyaḥ patejjñānāt saha bhojanameva ca
Wenn ein Zweimalgeborener (dvija) priesterlichen Dienst für Unwürdige verrichtet, in unerlaubte geschlechtliche Verbindung eintritt oder das heilige Wissen auf falsche Weise lehrt, fällt er sogleich vom rechten Erkennen ab; ebenso fällt er, wenn er in ihrer Gemeinschaft speist.
Sūta (narrator) presenting dharma-teachings as transmitted by the sages within the Kurma Purana tradition
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
By stressing that unethical action causes an immediate “fall from jñāna,” the verse implies that spiritual knowledge (which culminates in realizing the Self) depends on purity of conduct; violation of dharma clouds discernment and blocks Self-realization.
No specific technique is named; instead, it highlights yama-like ethical restraints—sexual discipline, right livelihood in priestly duties, and purity in association/food—as foundational prerequisites for higher practice such as Pāśupata-oriented devotion and inner contemplation.
Indirectly: the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis treats ethical purity as a shared gateway to grace and knowledge—whether devotion is framed through Śiva’s Pāśupata path or Viṣṇu/Kūrma’s instruction, dharma safeguards jñāna.