Shloka 21
Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas: Liquor, Theft, Sexual Transgression, Contact with the Fallen, and Homicide
ब्रह्महत्या सुरापानं स्तेयं गुर्वङ्गनागमः / कृत्वा तैश्चापि संसर्गं ब्राह्मणः कामकारतः
brahmahatyā surāpānaṃ steyaṃ gurvaṅganāgamaḥ / kṛtvā taiścāpi saṃsargaṃ brāhmaṇaḥ kāmakārataḥ
Seorang brāhmaṇa yang, kerana nafsu dan kehendak diri, melakukan pembunuhan brāhmaṇa, meminum arak memabukkan, mencuri, atau menodai isteri guru—dan bahkan sesiapa yang dengan sedar bergaul dengan pelaku-pelaku itu—menanggung dosa yang amat berat.
Kurma Purana narrator (Purāṇic discourse on dharma and prāyaścitta; speaker varies by recension, presented as authoritative śāstric instruction)
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: raudra
FAQs
This verse is primarily dharma-śāstra in tone: it does not directly define Ātman, but it implies that desire-driven action (kāma-kārataḥ) veils discernment and leads to heavy karmic bondage, for which purification is required.
No specific meditation is taught here; rather, it sets the ethical floor for spiritual life by condemning mahāpātakas and even “contaminating association” (saṃsarga). Such restraint aligns with yogic yama-niyama and the purity prerequisites emphasized in Kurma Purana’s broader yoga-dharma teaching.
It does not explicitly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu; its contribution to the Purāṇa’s synthesis is indirect—establishing shared dharmic standards (sin, purity, atonement) that undergird both Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava paths in the Kurma Purana.