Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 71
Prāyaścitta for Theft, Forbidden Foods, Impurity, and Ritual Lapses; Tīrtha–Vrata Remedies; Pativratā Mahātmyam via Sītā and Agni
सुरां स्पृष्ट्वा द्विजः कुर्यात् प्राणायामत्रयं शुचिः / पलाण्डुं लशुनं चैव घृतं प्राश्य ततः शुचिः
surāṃ spṛṣṭvā dvijaḥ kuryāt prāṇāyāmatrayaṃ śuciḥ / palāṇḍuṃ laśunaṃ caiva ghṛtaṃ prāśya tataḥ śuciḥ
Having touched intoxicating liquor, a twice-born man—after becoming clean—should perform the triad of breath-restraints (three prāṇāyāmas). And after eating onion and garlic, he should eat ghee; then he becomes clean (ritually purified).
Sūta (narrator) conveying Purāṇic dharma-teachings as received in the traditional transmission
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
FAQs
It does not directly define Ātman; instead it supports the broader Kurma Purana emphasis that purity of conduct and regulated prāṇa (via prāṇāyāma) prepares the practitioner for higher knowledge and devotion where Ātman-realization becomes possible.
Prāṇāyāma is prescribed as a purificatory discipline (prāyaścitta). The “three prāṇāyāmas” indicate a standard triad of breath-restraints used in dharma and yoga traditions to restore ritual-psychophysical purity.
This verse is practical dharma rather than sectarian theology; by grounding purification in yogic discipline, it aligns with the Kurma Purana’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis where shared yogic and ethical foundations support devotion to the one Supreme (Īśvara) revered as Shiva and Vishnu.