Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 37
Prāyaścitta for Theft, Forbidden Foods, Impurity, and Ritual Lapses; Tīrtha–Vrata Remedies; Pativratā Mahātmyam via Sītā and Agni
चाण्डालकूपभाण्डेषु यदि ज्ञानात् पिबेज्जलम् / चरेत् सांतपनं कृच्छ्रं ब्राह्मणः पापशोधनम्
cāṇḍālakūpabhāṇḍeṣu yadi jñānāt pibejjalam / caret sāṃtapanaṃ kṛcchraṃ brāhmaṇaḥ pāpaśodhanam
ஒரு பிராமணர் தெரிந்தே சண்டாளரின் கிணறு அல்லது பாத்திரத்திலிருந்து நீரை அருந்தினால், பாவ நிவர்த்திக்காக சாந்தபன க்ருச்ர விரதத்தை மேற்கொள்ள வேண்டும்.
Traditional Purāṇic narrator (Vyāsa/disciplic narration) prescribing dharma and prāyaścitta
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
This verse is not an Ātman-metaphysics teaching; it operates at the level of varṇāśrama-dharma and karmic purification, prescribing prāyaścitta to restore ritual and ethical fitness.
No contemplative yoga is taught directly; the practice here is tapas as prāyaścitta—undertaking the Sāṃtapana-kṛcchra austerity—showing the Purāṇa’s dharmic discipline that complements (but is distinct from) the later Pāśupata-yoga instructions in the Upari-bhāga.
It does not explicitly discuss Śiva–Viṣṇu unity; it reflects the shared Purāṇic framework where dharma, tapas, and purification are upheld as universally valid supports for spiritual life across Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava traditions.