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 ||
おおナーラダよ、スヴァルナ（suvarṇa）—黄金の標準単位—はマーシャ（māṣa）十六に等しいと言われる。もし無知ゆえに、婆羅門の財に関わる者を殺したり、婆羅門の所有物を滅したりしたなら、先に説かれたとおり、同じ贖罪の行を十二年にわたり修すべきである。
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.