Shloka 52

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

Devanagari script

अभ्रीं कार्ष्णायसीं दद्यात् सर्पं हत्वा द्विजोत्तमः / पलालभारं षण्डं च सैसकं चैकमाषकम्

Transliteration

abhrīṃ kārṣṇāyasīṃ dadyāt sarpaṃ hatvā dvijottamaḥ / palālabhāraṃ ṣaṇḍaṃ ca saisakaṃ caikamāṣakam

Translation

പാമ്പിനെ കൊന്നാൽ ശ്രേഷ്ഠനായ ദ്വിജൻ ഇരുമ്പു തൂമ്പ, വൈക്കോൽ കെട്ട്, ഒരു കാള, ഒരു മാഷകം ഈയം എന്നിവ ദാനം ചെയ്യണം.

Word by Word

• abhrīm: a spade/shovel
• abhrīm: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: abhrī (अभ्री प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana

• kārṣṇāyasīm: made of iron
• kārṣṇāyasīm: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kārṣṇāyasī (कार्ष्णायसी प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana; agrees with abhrīm; samāsa: kṛṣṇa + ayas (made of black iron)

• dadyāt: should give
• dadyāt: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (दा धातु)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (optative), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana

• sarpam: a snake
• sarpam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarpa (सर्प प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana

• hatvā: having killed
• hatvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: han (हन् धातु)
• Form: Ktvā (क्त्वा) absolutive/gerund

• dvijottamaḥ: the best of the twice-born
• dvijottamaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija + uttama (द्विज + उत्तम प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā vibhakti, Ekavacana; samāsa: dvija-uttama (best among twice-born)

• palālabhāram: a load of straw
• palālabhāram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: palāla + bhāra (पलाल + भार प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana; samāsa: palāla-bhāra (load of straw)

• ṣaṇḍam: a bull/ox (ṣaṇḍa)
• ṣaṇḍam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṣaṇḍa (षण्ड प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha-sūcaka (सम्बन्धसूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (च अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction

• saisakam: a piece of lead (or leaden object)
• saisakam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saisaka (सैसक प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Dvitīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha-sūcaka (सम्बन्धसूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (च अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction

• eka-māṣakam: one māṣaka (measure/coin)
• eka-māṣakam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: eka + māṣaka (एक + माषक प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Dvitīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana; dvigu: eka + māṣaka (one māṣaka measure/coin)

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator (instructional dharma passage on prāyaścitta)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa (dvija)
• Sarpa (serpent)
• Dāna (charitable expiation)

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

This verse is primarily dharma-śāstric (prāyaścitta) rather than metaphysical; it teaches ethical accountability for harm (hiṃsā) through corrective giving (dāna), which supports inner purification conducive to Self-knowledge.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No direct yoga technique is stated; the implied discipline is moral purification through prāyaścitta—reducing guilt and agitation (citta-kṣobha) so that later śaiva-vaiṣṇava contemplative practices can be undertaken with steadiness.

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

The verse does not explicitly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu; it reflects the Purāṇic synthesis indirectly by grounding spiritual life in dharma (non-harm and expiation), a shared ethical foundation across Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava paths in the Kūrma tradition.