Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 15
Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas and the Sin-destroying Power of Viṣṇu-smaraṇa
दीक्षितं क्षत्रियं हत्वा चरेद्धि ब्रह्महव्रतम् । अग्निप्रवेशनं वापि मरुत्प्रपतनं तथा ॥ १५ ॥
dīkṣitaṃ kṣatriyaṃ hatvā careddhi brahmahavratam | agnipraveśanaṃ vāpi marutprapatanaṃ tathā || 15 ||
दीक्षित क्षत्रियाचा वध केल्यास निश्चयाने ब्रह्महत्याव्रत आचरावे। अथवा अग्निप्रवेश किंवा उंचावरून पडणे हेही (प्रायश्चित्त) आहे॥१५॥
Narada (teaching/pronouncing dharma and prāyaścitta rules)
Vrata: brahmahavrata
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It frames certain acts of violence—especially against a ritually consecrated person—as spiritually catastrophic and therefore requiring extreme prāyaścitta, emphasizing accountability and purification through vrata.
Indirectly: by insisting on purification through vows and expiation, it prepares the practitioner for sattva and inner fitness, which the Purāṇas treat as supportive ground for stable Vishnu-bhakti.
Ritual-practice knowledge connected to Kalpa (rules of rites and expiations) is implied—how specific transgressions map to specific prāyaścittas and vratas.