Shloka 46
Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas: Liquor, Theft, Sexual Transgression, Contact with the Fallen, and Homicide
संवत्सरं व्रतं कुर्याच्छूद्रं हत्वा प्रमादतः / गोसहस्रार्धपादं च दद्यात् तत्पापशान्तये
saṃvatsaraṃ vrataṃ kuryācchūdraṃ hatvā pramādataḥ / gosahasrārdhapādaṃ ca dadyāt tatpāpaśāntaye
Wenn man aus Fahrlässigkeit einen Śūdra tötet, sollte man ein Jahr lang ein Sühnegelübde ablegen; und um diese Sünde zu sühnen, sollte man auch die Hälfte von tausend Kühen als Gabe geben.
Traditional narrator (Purāṇic discourse) prescribing dharma and prāyaścitta; commonly framed as instruction within the Kurma Purana’s dialogue setting
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It does not directly define Ātman; it emphasizes dharmic accountability and purification—ethical discipline (śuddhi) is treated as a prerequisite for higher spiritual realization taught elsewhere in the Kurma Purana.
No specific meditation technique is given; the verse highlights vrata (disciplined observance) and dāna (purifying charity) as practical means of inner and social purification that support the broader yogic path (including Pāśupata-oriented restraint and self-control) in the text.
It does not explicitly address Shiva–Vishnu unity; it focuses on dharma and expiation, themes that the Kurma Purana integrates across its Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis by presenting moral purification as foundational to devotion and yoga.