Varaha Purana 71.28: Adhyaya 71, Shloka 28
Vision of the Trimūrti in Rudra, the Gautama Curse, the Manifestation of the Godāvarī, and the Niḥśvāsa-saṃhitā Account
एवमुक्तो गौतमोऽथ तान् मुनीन् प्राह धर्मवित् । प्रायश्चित्तं गोवध्याया दीयतां मे तपोधनाः ॥ ७१.२८ ॥
evamukto gautamo ’tha tān munīn prāha dharmavit | prāyaścittaṃ govadhyāyā dīyatāṃ me tapodhanāḥ || 71.28 ||
So angesprochen, sprach Gautama, der Kenner des Dharma, zu jenen Munis: „O ihr, deren Reichtum die Askese ist, bestimmt mir die Sühne (prāyaścitta) für die Tötung einer Kuh.“
Gautama
FAQs
It reflects a Purāṇic mode of ethical jurisprudence in which authoritative figures (sages and dharma-knowers) articulate prāyaścitta frameworks, paralleling broader Dharmaśāstra traditions while embedding them in narrative dialogue.
No geographic location is explicitly named in this verse; the focus is on a juridical-ethical request (prāyaścitta) rather than sacred geography.
The verse foregrounds accountability for harm and the principle that serious transgressions (here, cow-killing) are addressed through formally prescribed expiatory disciplines within a dharma-guided community of sages.
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