Shloka 54

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

Devanagari script

हत्वा हंसं बलाकां च बकं बर्हिणमेव च / वानरं श्येनभासौ च स्पर्शयेद् ब्राह्मणाय गाम्

Transliteration

hatvā haṃsaṃ balākāṃ ca bakaṃ barhiṇameva ca / vānaraṃ śyenabhāsau ca sparśayed brāhmaṇāya gām

Translation

Wer einen Schwan, einen Kranich, einen Reiher, einen Pfau, einen Affen sowie einen Falken und den Raubvogel bhāsa getötet hat, soll zur Sühne einem Brāhmaṇa eine Kuh als Gabe darbringen.

Word by Word

• hatvā: having killed
• hatvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: han (धातु) + ktvā (कृत्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त), from √han (हन्), ‘having killed’

• haṃsam: a swan
• haṃsam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: haṃsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• balākām: a crane/heron
• balākām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: balākā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction/particle (समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय)

• bakam: a heron
• bakam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: baka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• barhiṇam: a peacock
• barhiṇam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: barhin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (निश्चय/अवधारण अव्यय)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction/particle (समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय)

• vānarām: a monkey
• vānarām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vānara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• śyena-bhāsau: a hawk and a vulture
• śyena-bhāsau: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śyena (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Dvandva (इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Dual (द्विवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction/particle (समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय)

• sparśayet: should touch
• sparśayet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: spṛś (धातु)
• Form: Optative/विधिलिङ् (Potential), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• brāhmaṇāya: for a Brahmin
• brāhmaṇāya: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular (एकवचन)

• gām: a cow
• gām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Sūta (narrating a Dharma/Prāyaścitta passage to the sages in the Purāṇic frame)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa
• Gau (Cow)

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: it does so through Dharma—by prescribing expiation (prāyaścitta) and charity (dāna), it reinforces purification of conduct as a foundation for inner clarity needed for realizing the Self.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No direct meditation technique is taught in this verse; it supports Yoga ethically by emphasizing ahiṃsā and purification through prāyaścitta and dāna, which are treated as preparatory disciplines for higher sādhanā in the Kurma Purana.

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

This verse is primarily a Dharma/prāyaścitta injunction and does not explicitly discuss Śiva–Viṣṇu unity; it reflects the Purāṇa’s shared ethical ground that underlies both Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava soteriology.