Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 38
Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas and the Sin-destroying Power of Viṣṇu-smaraṇa
माषषोडषमानं स्यात्सुवर्णमिति नारद । हत्वा ब्रह्मस्वमज्ञानाद्द्वादशांब्दं तु पूर्ववत् ॥ ३८ ॥
māṣaṣoḍaṣamānaṃ syātsuvarṇamiti nārada | hatvā brahmasvamajñānāddvādaśāṃbdaṃ tu pūrvavat || 38 ||
Ô Nārada, on dit qu’un suvarṇa (unité étalon d’or) équivaut à seize māṣas. Si, par ignorance, l’on tue une personne liée aux biens d’un brahmane, ou si l’on détruit des biens appartenant à un brahmane, qu’on observe la même discipline d’expiation qu’auparavant, durant douze ans.
Sanatkumara (in instruction to Narada)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
It links ethical responsibility with precise traditional standards: the verse defines a recognized measure of value (suvarṇa = sixteen māṣas) and underscores that even unintentional harm involving Brahmin-associated wealth demands serious long-term purification through prāyaścitta.
Indirectly: Bhakti in the Purāṇic framework includes living dharmically. The verse teaches that sincere devotion must be accompanied by accountability and corrective discipline when one’s actions violate sacred social and religious trusts.
It reflects practical dharma-śāstra style calibration of ritual/legal penalties using traditional measures of weight/value (māṣa, suvarṇa), a technical detail often used in prescribing dāna and prāyaścitta.