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
Setelah membunuh seorang wanita Brahmana, seorang Brahmana harus menjalani sumpah penebusan dosa selama lapan tahun. Untuk membunuh seorang wanita Kṣatriya, (dia harus melakukannya) selama enam tahun; untuk seorang wanita Vaiśya, selama tiga tahun. Tetapi setelah membunuh seorang wanita Śūdra, yang terbaik dari kelahiran dua kali menjadi suci dalam satu tahun.
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.