Shloka 25
Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas: Liquor, Theft, Sexual Transgression, Contact with the Fallen, and Homicide
मातृष्वसां मातुलानीं तथैव च पितृष्वसाम् / भागिनेयीं समारुह्य कुर्यात् कृच्छ्रातिकृच्छ्रकौ
mātṛṣvasāṃ mātulānīṃ tathaiva ca pitṛṣvasām / bhāgineyīṃ samāruhya kuryāt kṛcchrātikṛcchrakau
Si un homme a des relations sexuelles avec sa tante maternelle, la femme de son oncle maternel, sa tante paternelle ou la fille de sa sœur, il doit accomplir les expiations sévères connues sous le nom de Kṛcchra et Atikṛcchra.
Sūta (narrator) relaying the Kurma Purana’s dharma-śāstric injunctions
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
This verse does not directly teach ātma-jñāna; it establishes ethical restraints (dharma) and purification (prāyaścitta), which the Purāṇic tradition treats as foundational supports for inner clarity that later aids Self-knowledge.
No meditative technique is specified; the emphasis is on tapas-based purification through Kṛcchra and Atikṛcchra—disciplines that function as preparatory austerities supporting yogic steadiness and moral restraint.
It does not discuss Śiva–Viṣṇu theology explicitly; it reflects the shared Purāṇic dharma framework upheld across Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava contexts, where ethical order and expiation safeguard spiritual progress.