Shloka 50

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

Devanagari script

मण्डूकं नकुलं काकं दन्दशूकं च मूषिकम् / श्वानं हत्वा द्विजः कुर्यात् षोडशांशं व्रतं ततः

Transliteration

maṇḍūkaṃ nakulaṃ kākaṃ dandaśūkaṃ ca mūṣikam / śvānaṃ hatvā dvijaḥ kuryāt ṣoḍaśāṃśaṃ vrataṃ tataḥ

Translation

ବେଙ୍ଗ, ନେଉଳ, କାଉ, ସାପ, ମୂଷା କିମ୍ବା କୁକୁରକୁ ହତ୍ୟା କଲେ ଦ୍ୱିଜ ପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣ ପ୍ରାୟଶ୍ଚିତ୍ତର ଷୋହଳ ଭାଗରୁ ଏକ ଭାଗ ବ୍ରତ କରିବା ଉଚିତ୍।

Word by Word

• maṇḍūkam: frog
• maṇḍūkam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maṇḍūka (मण्डूक प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā vibhakti (2nd), Ekavacana

• nakulam: mongoose
• nakulam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nakula (नकुल प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana

• kākam: crow
• kākam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāka (काक प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana

• dandaśūkam: snake (dandaśūka)
• dandaśūkam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dandaśūka (दन्दशूक प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana; samāsa (traditional): daṇḍa + śūka (name of a serpent)

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

• mūṣikam: mouse/rat
• mūṣikam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūṣika (मूषिक प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana

• śvānām: dog
• śvānām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śvan (श्वन् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana (irregular stem śvan-)

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

• dvijaḥ: a twice-born man
• dvijaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (द्विज प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā vibhakti (1st), Ekavacana; samāsa: dvi + ja (twice-born)

• kuryāt: should perform
• kuryāt: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (optative), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana

• ṣoḍaśāṃśam: a sixteenth-part (penance)
• ṣoḍaśāṃśam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṣoḍaśāṃśa (षोडशांश प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana; samāsa: ṣoḍaśa + aṃśa (sixteenth part)

• vratam: vow/observance
• vratam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vrata (व्रत प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Dvitīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana; apposition to ṣoḍaśāṃśam

• tataḥ: thereafter
• tataḥ: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (काल-अधिकरण; temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (ततः अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb of sequence (tadanantaram)

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) conveying the Kurma Purana’s dharma-teachings as taught in the discourse of sages

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa

Characters & Entities

• dvija
• vrata
• prāyaścitta

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

It does not directly teach Ātman-doctrine; instead, it frames ethical accountability (karma and its remediation) through prāyaścitta, which in the Purāṇic worldview supports inner purity needed for higher knowledge.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No specific yoga technique is described; the verse highlights vrata (disciplined observance) as a preparatory limb—ethical restraint and purification—often treated as supportive to dhyāna and higher sādhana in the Kurma Purana’s broader teaching.

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

This verse is primarily dharma-legal and does not explicitly address Shiva–Vishnu unity; its contribution is indirect, emphasizing shared Purāṇic ethics (ahiṃsā, penance, purification) that underpin both Shaiva and Vaishnava soteriological paths.