Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 50
Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas: Liquor, Theft, Sexual Transgression, Contact with the Fallen, and Homicide
मण्डूकं नकुलं काकं दन्दशूकं च मूषिकम् / श्वानं हत्वा द्विजः कुर्यात् षोडशांशं व्रतं ततः
maṇḍūkaṃ nakulaṃ kākaṃ dandaśūkaṃ ca mūṣikam / śvānaṃ hatvā dvijaḥ kuryāt ṣoḍaśāṃśaṃ vrataṃ tataḥ
After killing a frog, a mongoose, a crow, a snake, or a mouse—or after killing a dog—a twice-born man should then undertake a vow of expiation equal to one-sixteenth (of the prescribed full penance).
Sūta (narrator) conveying the Kurma Purana’s dharma-teachings as taught in the discourse of sages
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
FAQs
It does not directly teach Ātman-doctrine; instead, it frames ethical accountability (karma and its remediation) through prāyaścitta, which in the Purāṇic worldview supports inner purity needed for higher knowledge.
No specific yoga technique is described; the verse highlights vrata (disciplined observance) as a preparatory limb—ethical restraint and purification—often treated as supportive to dhyāna and higher sādhana in the Kurma Purana’s broader teaching.
This verse is primarily dharma-legal and does not explicitly address Shiva–Vishnu unity; its contribution is indirect, emphasizing shared Purāṇic ethics (ahiṃsā, penance, purification) that underpin both Shaiva and Vaishnava soteriological paths.