Shloka 48
Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas: Liquor, Theft, Sexual Transgression, Contact with the Fallen, and Homicide
निहत्य ब्राह्मणीं विप्रस्त्वष्टवर्षं व्रतं चरेत् / राजन्यां वर्षषट्कं तु वैश्यां संवत्सरत्रयम् / वत्सरेण विशुद्ध्येत शूद्रां हत्वा द्विजोत्तमः
nihatya brāhmaṇīṃ viprastvaṣṭavarṣaṃ vrataṃ caret / rājanyāṃ varṣaṣaṭkaṃ tu vaiśyāṃ saṃvatsaratrayam / vatsareṇa viśuddhyeta śūdrāṃ hatvā dvijottamaḥ
ബ്രാഹ്മണസ്ത്രീയെ കൊന്നാൽ ബ്രാഹ്മണൻ എട്ടു വർഷം വ്രതം അനുഷ്ഠിക്കണം. ക്ഷത്രിയസ്ത്രീക്ക് ആറു വർഷവും, വൈശ്യസ്ത്രീക്ക് മൂന്നു വർഷവും, ശൂദ്രസ്ത്രീയെ കൊന്നാൽ ഒരു വർഷം കൊണ്ടും ശുദ്ധി ലഭിക്കും.
Sūta (narrating Purāṇic dharma-teachings to the sages, within the Kurma Purana’s discourse framework)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
This verse is primarily dharmaśāstric, prescribing prāyaścitta (expiation) for grave harm; it does not directly teach ātman-metaphysics, but it assumes moral accountability and purification as prerequisites for spiritual clarity.
The verse highlights vrata (disciplined observance) as a purification practice; in Purāṇic spirituality, such restraint supports inner purification that can later mature into higher sādhana such as japa, dhyāna, and (in the Kurma Purana’s broader frame) Pāśupata-oriented discipline.
It does not explicitly discuss Śiva–Viṣṇu unity; it belongs to the Kurma Purana’s shared dharma layer that both Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava traditions accept as ethical groundwork for higher realization.