Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 41
Dharmopadeśa-Śānti: Rules of Impurity, Expiations, and Ancestor Rites
एकैकशश्वरेत्कृच्छ्रं एषा गोन्घस्य निष्कृतिः । बन्धने रोधने चैव पोषणे वा गवां रुजाम् ॥ ४१ ॥
ekaikaśaśvaretkṛcchraṃ eṣā gonghasya niṣkṛtiḥ | bandhane rodhane caiva poṣaṇe vā gavāṃ rujām || 41 ||
For each cow so harmed, one should perform the Kṛcchra penance; this is the expiation for the sin of injuring a cow—whether by tying her up, confining her, or by neglecting to nourish and tend her ailments.
Sanatkumara (in instruction to Narada)
Vrata: Kṛcchra (penance)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
It frames cow-protection (go-rakṣā) as a core dharmic duty and teaches that even indirect harm—through restraint or neglect—creates karmic fault requiring prāyaścitta.
By insisting on compassionate care and responsibility toward living beings upheld by dharma, it supports sāttvika conduct that purifies the heart—an essential foundation for steady Vishnu-bhakti, even when the verse itself is primarily legal-ritual in focus.
Kalpa/Smārta-vidhi (ritual jurisprudence) is implied through the prescription of a specific prāyaścitta—performing a Kṛcchra vow per instance of harm.