Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 18
Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas: Liquor, Theft, Sexual Transgression, Contact with the Fallen, and Homicide
पतितैः संप्रयुक्तानामथ वक्ष्यामि निष्कृतिम् / पतितेन तु संसर्गं यो येन कुरुते द्विजः / स तत्पापापनोदार्थं तस्यैव व्रतमाचरेत्
patitaiḥ saṃprayuktānāmatha vakṣyāmi niṣkṛtim / patitena tu saṃsargaṃ yo yena kurute dvijaḥ / sa tatpāpāpanodārthaṃ tasyaiva vratamācaret
Agora explicarei a expiação para aqueles que tiveram contato com os caídos (patita). Seja qual for o tipo de convivência que um dvija mantenha com um patita, para remover o pecado nascido desse contato, deve observar exatamente o voto de penitência correspondente a esse mesmo contato.
Vyasa (narrator/teacher voice within the dharma-prāyaścitta section)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
This verse does not directly define Ātman; it establishes the dharmic groundwork for inner purity—removing pāpa through appropriate vrata—often treated in the Purāṇa as a prerequisite for steadiness of mind needed for higher knowledge and yoga.
No specific meditation is taught in this line; it emphasizes prāyaścitta-vrata (penitential observances) as a discipline of purification. In the Kurma Purana’s broader framework, such purification supports eligibility for later yoga and devotion taught elsewhere (including Pāśupata-oriented teachings).
It does not explicitly discuss Śiva–Viṣṇu unity; instead it presents a shared dharmic principle upheld across Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava streams in the Kurma Purana: sin arising from improper association is removed by proportionate, rule-based vows (vrata) aimed at purification.