Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 18
Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas and the Sin-destroying Power of Viṣṇu-smaraṇa
द्विगुणं क्षत्रियस्योक्तं त्रिगुणं तु विशः स्मृतम् । ब्राह्मणं हंति यः शूद्रस्तं मुशल्यं विर्दुर्बुधाः ॥ १८ ॥
dviguṇaṃ kṣatriyasyoktaṃ triguṇaṃ tu viśaḥ smṛtam | brāhmaṇaṃ haṃti yaḥ śūdrastaṃ muśalyaṃ virdurbudhāḥ || 18 ||
On dit que la peine pour un Kṣatriya est double, et l’on se souvient qu’elle est triple pour un Vaiśya. Mais les sages déclarent que le Śūdra qui tue un brāhmaṇa doit être puni de mort par la massue (muśala).
Narada (teaching in a Dharma context, as preserved in Narada Purana)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
The verse stresses the gravity of hiṁsā (violence), especially brahma-hatyā (killing a Brāhmaṇa), and presents a graded accountability framework intended to protect dharma and social stability.
Indirectly, it supports bhakti by emphasizing dharmic restraint and non-violence as foundational virtues; devotion to Bhagavān is traditionally grounded in ethical conduct (sadācāra) and avoidance of grave sins.
This is primarily dharmaśāstra/Smṛti reasoning (normative law), not a Vedāṅga technical topic like Vyākaraṇa or Jyotiṣa; the practical takeaway is the concept of graded penalties and the categorization of major transgressions (mahāpātaka) such as brahma-hatyā.