Shloka 18
Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas: Liquor, Theft, Sexual Transgression, Contact with the Fallen, and Homicide
पतितैः संप्रयुक्तानामथ वक्ष्यामि निष्कृतिम् / पतितेन तु संसर्गं यो येन कुरुते द्विजः / स तत्पापापनोदार्थं तस्यैव व्रतमाचरेत्
patitaiḥ saṃprayuktānāmatha vakṣyāmi niṣkṛtim / patitena tu saṃsargaṃ yo yena kurute dvijaḥ / sa tatpāpāpanodārthaṃ tasyaiva vratamācaret
Nun werde ich die Sühne für jene darlegen, die mit Gefallenen (patita) in Berührung gekommen sind. Welche Art von Umgang ein Dvija auch immer mit einem patita pflegt: um die aus diesem Umgang entstandene Sünde zu tilgen, soll er genau das entsprechende Bußgelübde ausüben.
Vyasa (narrator/teacher voice within the dharma-prāyaścitta section)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
This verse does not directly define Ātman; it establishes the dharmic groundwork for inner purity—removing pāpa through appropriate vrata—often treated in the Purāṇa as a prerequisite for steadiness of mind needed for higher knowledge and yoga.
No specific meditation is taught in this line; it emphasizes prāyaścitta-vrata (penitential observances) as a discipline of purification. In the Kurma Purana’s broader framework, such purification supports eligibility for later yoga and devotion taught elsewhere (including Pāśupata-oriented teachings).
It does not explicitly discuss Śiva–Viṣṇu unity; instead it presents a shared dharmic principle upheld across Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava streams in the Kurma Purana: sin arising from improper association is removed by proportionate, rule-based vows (vrata) aimed at purification.