Shloka 30

Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas: Liquor, Theft, Sexual Transgression, Contact with the Fallen, and Homicide

Devanagari script

उदक्यागमने विप्रस्त्रिरात्रेण विशुध्यति / चाण्डालीगमने चैव तप्तकृच्छ्रत्रयं विदुः / सह सांतपनेनास्य नान्यथा निष्कृतिः स्मृता

Transliteration

udakyāgamane viprastrirātreṇa viśudhyati / cāṇḍālīgamane caiva taptakṛcchratrayaṃ viduḥ / saha sāṃtapanenāsya nānyathā niṣkṛtiḥ smṛtā

Translation

Wenn ein Brāhmaṇa mit einer menstruierenden Frau verkehrt, wird er nach drei Nächten vorgeschriebener Übung rein. Wenn er aber mit einer Caṇḍāla-Frau verkehrt, schreiben die Autoritäten einen dreifachen Taptakṛcchra vor; und zusammen mit dem Sāṃtapana-Ritus—so wird erinnert—gibt es für ihn keine andere Sühne.

Word by Word

• उदक्य-आगमने: in the case of going to a menstruating woman
• उदक्य-आगमने: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उदक्या (प्रातिपदिक) + आगमन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (उदक्यायाः आगमनम्)

• विप्रः: a Brahmin
• विप्रः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• त्रि-रात्रेण: by (observing) three nights
• त्रि-रात्रेण: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि (प्रातिपदिक) + रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (त्रिरात्रम्), तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (त्रीणि रात्राणि)

• विशुध्यति: becomes purified
• विशुध्यति: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-शुध् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम/परस्मैपदम प्रचलित; उपसर्ग: वि

• चाण्डाली-गमने: in the case of going to a Caṇḍālī woman
• चाण्डाली-गमने: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चाण्डाली (प्रातिपदिक) + गमन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (चाण्डाल्याः गमनम्)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक-निपात

• तप्त-कृच्छ्र-त्रयम्: a triple taptakṛcchra (threefold penance)
• तप्त-कृच्छ्र-त्रयम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तप्त (कृदन्त) + कृच्छ्र (प्रातिपदिक) + त्रय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः: (तप्तकृच्छ्रस्य) त्रयम् = षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष; अन्तर्गतः तप्तकृच्छ्र = कर्मधारय

• विदुः: they know/declare
• विदुः: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम

• सह: together with
• सह: Sahartha (सहार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सहार्थक-उपपद (with)

• सांतपनेन: with the sāṃtapana (penance)
• सांतपनेन: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सांतपन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन

• अस्य: of him/for this (case)
• अस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Nishedha (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात (negation)

• अन्यथा: otherwise
• अन्यथा: Kriya-vishesana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (otherwise)

• निष्कृतिः: expiation
• निष्कृतिः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निष्कृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• स्मृता: is prescribed/remembered
• स्मृता: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे विधेय-विशेषणम्

Speaker

Traditional Purāṇic narrator (instructional dharma discourse within the Kurma Purana)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bibhatsa

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Characters & Entities

• Vipra (Brāhmaṇa)
• Udakyā (menstruating woman)
• Caṇḍālī (woman of Caṇḍāla community)
• Taptakṛcchra (penance)
• Sāṃtapana (expiatory rite)

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

How does this verse explain the nature of the Supreme Self (Atman)?

This verse does not directly teach ātman-metaphysics; it frames dharma as purification (śuddhi) through disciplined expiation, which in the Purāṇic system supports inner clarity needed for higher knowledge and yoga.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No explicit meditative technique is taught here; instead, it emphasizes prāyaścitta (kṛcchra, sāṃtapana) as ethical-ritual self-restraint, a preparatory discipline that Purāṇas often treat as a foundation for yoga and steadiness of mind.

How does this verse depict the relationship between Shiva and Vishnu?

The verse is primarily dharma-legal and does not mention Śiva or Viṣṇu explicitly; within the Kurma Purana’s broader Shaiva-Vaishnava synthesis, such dharma prescriptions function as shared normative groundwork for devotion and yoga across both traditions.