Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 55

Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas: Liquor, Theft, Sexual Transgression, Contact with the Fallen, and Homicide

Devanagari script

क्रव्यादांस्तु मृगान् हत्वा धेनुं दद्यात् पयस्विनीम् / अक्रव्यादान् वत्सतरीमुष्ट्रं हत्वा तु कृष्णलम्

Transliteration

kravyādāṃstu mṛgān hatvā dhenuṃ dadyāt payasvinīm / akravyādān vatsatarīmuṣṭraṃ hatvā tu kṛṣṇalam

Translation

肉食の野獣を殺したなら、乳の豊かな乳牛を布施すべきである。肉食でない獣を殺したなら、若い雌牛を布施すべきである。ラクダを殺したなら、贖罪としてクリシュナラ（小さな金の量・貨）を捧げよ。

Word by Word

• kravyādān: flesh-eating
• kravyādān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kravyāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural (बहुवचन); adjective qualifying mṛgān

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (विरोध/अन्वयबोधक अव्यय)

• mṛgān: animals/deer
• mṛgān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural (बहुवचन)

• hatvā: having killed
• hatvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: han (धातु) + ktvā (कृत्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त), from √han (हन्)

• dhenum: a milch-cow
• dhenum: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhenu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• dadyāt: should give
• dadyāt: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: Optative/विधिलिङ्, Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• payasvinīm: milk-yielding
• payasvinīm: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: payasvinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); adjective qualifying dhenum

• akravyādān: non-flesh-eating
• akravyādān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-kravyāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural (बहुवचन); adjective (non-flesh-eating)

• vatsatarīm: a heifer/young cow
• vatsatarīm: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vatsatarī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• uṣṭram: a camel
• uṣṭram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: uṣṭra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• hatvā: having killed
• hatvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: han (धातु) + ktvā (कृत्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त), from √han (हन्)

• tu: then/but
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (विरोध/अन्वयबोधक अव्यय)

• kṛṣṇalam: a black gram/seed (kṛṣṇala)
• kṛṣṇalam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Sūta (narrating Vyāsa’s teaching to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Vyāsa
• Dharma
• Dāna
• Prāyaścitta

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

How does this verse explain the nature of the Supreme Self (Atman)?

Indirectly: by prescribing prāyaścitta through dāna, it teaches karmic accountability and inner purification (śuddhi) as a prerequisite for steady Self-knowledge; ethical repair supports clarity for ātma-jñāna.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No specific āsana or dhyāna is stated; the practice emphasized is karmayoga-like purification—restoring dharma through charity after harm, which aligns with the Kurma Purana’s broader discipline of śauca (purity) supporting higher yoga.

How does this verse depict the relationship between Shiva and Vishnu?

This verse is primarily dharma-śāstra in tone; it reflects the Purana’s synthesis by grounding spiritual life in shared ethical dharma, a foundation upon which both Shaiva (Pāśupata) and Vaishnava (Nārāyaṇa-bhakti) paths are said to flourish.