Shloka 7

Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas — Brahmahatyā, Association with the Fallen, and Tīrtha-Based Purification

Devanagari script

मीमांसाज्ञानतत्त्वज्ञा वेदान्तकुशला द्विजाः / एकविंशतिसंख्याताः प्रयाश्चित्तं वदन्ति वै

Transliteration

mīmāṃsājñānatattvajñā vedāntakuśalā dvijāḥ / ekaviṃśatisaṃkhyātāḥ prayāścittaṃ vadanti vai

Translation

മീമാംസയിൽ നിപുണരും, ജ്ഞാനതത്ത്വം അറിയുന്നവരും, വേദാന്തത്തിൽ കുശലരുമായ ആ ദ്വിജർ—ഇരുപത്തൊന്ന് പേർ—പ്രായശ്ചിത്തത്തിന്റെ ഉപദേശം നിശ്ചയമായി പ്രസ്താവിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• मीमांसा-ज्ञान-तत्त्व-ज्ञाः: knowers of Mīmāṃsā, knowledge, and true principles
• मीमांसा-ज्ञान-तत्त्व-ज्ञाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मीमांसा (प्रातिपदिक) + ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक) + तत्त्व (प्रातिपदिक) + ज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण—knowers of Mīmāṃsā, knowledge, and principles

• वेदान्त-कुशलाः: skilled in Vedānta
• वेदान्त-कुशलाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वेदान्त (प्रातिपदिक) + कुशल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण—skilled in Vedānta

• द्विजाः: twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• एक-विंशति-संख्याताः: numbering twenty-one
• एक-विंशति-संख्याताः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक) + विंशति (प्रातिपदिक) + संख्यात (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; द्विगु-समास—‘numbered as twenty-one’

• प्रायश्चित्तम्: expiation
• प्रायश्चित्तम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रायश्चित्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• वदन्ति: say/declare
• वदन्ति: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha/Avyaya (सम्बन्ध/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), emphatic/indeed

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) reporting the sages’ exposition within the Kurma Purana discourse framework

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Dvija
• Mīmāṃsā
• Vedānta
• Prāyaścitta

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

Indirectly: by pairing Mīmāṃsā (ritual-duty analysis) with Vedānta (Self-knowledge), it implies that dharmic purification (prāyaścitta) and inner realization belong to a single Vedic continuum leading toward clarity of the Self.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No specific yogic technique is named; the verse foregrounds purification as a prerequisite discipline—prāyaścitta as a dharmic means of cleansing conduct and mind, which supports higher contemplative practice emphasized elsewhere in the Kurma Purana (including Pāśupata-oriented ideals).

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

Not explicitly; however, the Kurma Purana’s synthetic approach is reflected in presenting both ritual orthopraxy (often linked with Vedic duty) and Vedāntic wisdom (often used in sect-transcending theology), a framework compatible with Shaiva–Vaishnava unity themes found across the text.