Shloka 17
Prāyaścitta for Theft, Forbidden Foods, Impurity, and Ritual Lapses; Tīrtha–Vrata Remedies; Pativratā Mahātmyam via Sītā and Agni
वार्ताकं भुस्तृणं शिग्रुं खुखुण्डं करकं तथा / प्राजापत्यं चरेज्जग्ध्वा शङ्खं कुम्भीकमेव च
vārtākaṃ bhustṛṇaṃ śigruṃ khukhuṇḍaṃ karakaṃ tathā / prājāpatyaṃ carejjagdhvā śaṅkhaṃ kumbhīkameva ca
Having eaten vārtāka (brinjal), bhustṛṇa-grass, śigru (drumstick/moringa), khukhuṇḍa, karaka, as well as the plants called śaṅkha and kumbhīka, one should undertake the Prājāpatya penance for purification.
Sūta (narrating traditional dharma material as transmitted by sages)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It does not directly define Ātman; instead, it supports the broader Purāṇic framework where bodily discipline (āhāra-śuddhi and prāyaścitta) is treated as a preparatory ground for inner purity that enables higher knowledge.
No specific meditation is taught in this verse; it emphasizes śauca and restraint through expiation (Prājāpatya), which functions as a dharmic foundation that later supports yogic steadiness and sattva in practice.
The verse is procedural (dietary expiation) and does not mention Śiva or Viṣṇu explicitly; in the Kurma Purāṇa’s synthesis, such dharma-rules are shared norms that undergird both Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava paths toward purification and liberation.