Shloka 44
Prāyaścitta for Theft, Forbidden Foods, Impurity, and Ritual Lapses; Tīrtha–Vrata Remedies; Pativratā Mahātmyam via Sītā and Agni
व्रात्यानां यजनं कृत्वा परेषामन्त्यकर्म च / अभिचारमहीनं च त्रिभिः कृच्छ्रैर्विशुद्ध्यति
vrātyānāṃ yajanaṃ kṛtvā pareṣāmantyakarma ca / abhicāramahīnaṃ ca tribhiḥ kṛcchrairviśuddhyati
Wer ein Opfer für Vrātyas vollzogen, für andere die letzten Riten (antya-karman) ausgeführt und zudem Abhicāra (schädigende Zauberei) betrieben hat, wird durch die Beobachtung von drei Kṛcchra-Bußen gereinigt.
Traditional Purāṇic narrator (Vyāsa/śaunaka-style transmission) presenting dharma-śāstric prāyaścitta rules within the Kurma Purana
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
FAQs
This verse is primarily dharma-śāstric: it treats karmic impurity and ritual transgression, implying that inner and outer purification are prerequisites for steady sāttvika conduct that supports Self-knowledge, rather than directly defining Ātman.
No direct yogic technique is taught here; instead, it prescribes kṛcchra austerities as prāyaścitta—discipline of food, conduct, and restraint—which in the Kurma Purana’s broader framework functions as ethical purification supportive of higher sādhana (including Pāśupata-oriented devotion and contemplation).
The verse does not explicitly discuss Śiva–Viṣṇu unity; it operates within a shared dharma framework accepted across Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava traditions in the Kurma Purana, where purification and right conduct are common foundations for devotion to Īśvara.