Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 60
Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas and the Sin-destroying Power of Viṣṇu-smaraṇa
स्ववर्णोत्तमवर्णस्त्रीगमने त्वविचारतः । ब्राह्महत्याव्रतं कुर्याद्वादशाब्दं समाहितः ॥ ६० ॥
svavarṇottamavarṇastrīgamane tvavicārataḥ | brāhmahatyāvrataṃ kuryādvādaśābdaṃ samāhitaḥ || 60 ||
Jika seorang pria dari golongannya sendiri berhubungan dengan wanita dari golongan yang lebih tinggi tanpa pertimbangan, ia harus menjalani sumpah penebusan dosa pembunuhan brahmana selama dua belas tahun.
Sanatkumara (in dialogue with Narada)
Vrata: brāhmahatyā-vrata (used here as expiation model)
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It frames moral accountability in Dharma: a serious breach of social-ethical restraint requires long, disciplined penance, emphasizing self-control (samāhita) as the core of purification.
Indirectly, it supports Bhakti by insisting on inner discipline and purification through vrata; such restraint is presented as necessary groundwork for a stable, sattvic mind capable of sustained devotion.
Ritual-practice knowledge is implied through prāyaścitta-vrata procedure (kalpa-style application): the verse specifies duration (twelve years) and the required mental posture (samāhita) for a prescribed expiation.