Shloka 10
Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas: Liquor, Theft, Sexual Transgression, Contact with the Fallen, and Homicide
स्नात्वाश्वमेधावभृथे पूतः स्यादथवा द्विजः / प्रदद्याद् वाथ विप्रेभ्यः स्वात्मतुल्यं हिरण्यकम्
snātvāśvamedhāvabhṛthe pūtaḥ syādathavā dvijaḥ / pradadyād vātha viprebhyaḥ svātmatulyaṃ hiraṇyakam
Wer im Avabhṛtha, der abschließenden Waschung des Aśvamedha, badet, wird als Zweimalgeborener gereinigt; andernfalls soll er den brāhmaṇischen Weisen Gold spenden, dessen Wert seiner eigenen Person entspricht, als sühnevolle, dem Selbst gleichkommende Gabe.
Sūta (narrating the Kurma Purana’s dharma-teachings as received from the sages; prescriptive śāstric voice)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It does not directly define Ātman metaphysically; it uses “self-equivalent” (svātma-tulya) as a dharmic measure—offering a gift valued as one’s own person—implying that ethical self-offering and renunciation support inner purification.
No specific yogic technique is taught in this verse; it emphasizes śuddhi (purification) through ritual bathing and dāna, which function as preparatory disciplines (adhikāra-śuddhi) that traditionally support later yogic and devotional practice in the Kurma Purana’s broader teaching.
The verse is primarily dharma-ritual in focus and does not name Śiva or Viṣṇu; within the Kurma Purana’s synthesis, such purificatory duties are presented as universally valid supports for devotion and yoga regardless of whether one approaches the Supreme as Śiva or as Viṣṇu (Kurma).