Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 26
Dharmopadeśa-Śānti: Rules of Impurity, Expiations, and Ancestor Rites
गोब्राह्मणगृहं दग्ध्वा मृतं चोद्वन्धनादिना । पाशं छित्वा तथा तस्य कृच्छ्रमेकं चरेद्दिजः ॥ २६ ॥
gobrāhmaṇagṛhaṃ dagdhvā mṛtaṃ codvandhanādinā | pāśaṃ chitvā tathā tasya kṛcchramekaṃ careddijaḥ || 26 ||
Bila seseorang membakar kandang/sangkar sapi atau rumah seorang brāhmaṇa, atau menyebabkan kematian dengan gantung diri dan semacamnya, serta memotong jerat/tali itu, maka seorang dvija hendaknya menjalankan satu tapa penebusan Kṛcchra.
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in a dharma/prāyaścitta context)
Vrata: Kṛcchra (one)
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It frames severe harms—burning the property of cows/brāhmaṇas and causing death by hanging—as grave adharma, and prescribes Kṛcchra as a purificatory discipline to restore moral and ritual fitness through regulated restraint.
Bhakti in the Purāṇic vision is not separate from dharma: devotion is safeguarded by non-violence, reverence to brāhmaṇas, and protection of cows; when violated, sincere repentance and prescribed penance support a return to sattva and devotional life.
It reflects Dharmaśāstra-style prāyaścitta procedure (a practical ritual-legal application allied to Kalpa/Vedāṅga traditions), specifying Kṛcchra as the remedial vrata for defined offences.