Shloka 21
Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas — Brahmahatyā, Association with the Fallen, and Tīrtha-Based Purification
अश्वमेधावभृथके स्नात्वा वा शुध्यते द्विजः / सर्वस्वं वा वेदविदे ब्राह्मणाय प्रदाय तु
aśvamedhāvabhṛthake snātvā vā śudhyate dvijaḥ / sarvasvaṃ vā vedavide brāhmaṇāya pradāya tu
ద్విజుడు అశ్వమేధ యాగంలోని అవభృథస్నానంతో శుద్ధి పొందుతాడు; లేదా వేదవిద్ బ్రాహ్మణునికి తన సర్వస్వాన్ని దానం చేసినా శుద్ధి పొందుతాడు।
Narrator (Purāṇic teaching voice), within a dharma/prāyaścitta instruction section traditionally framed as Lord Kūrma’s discourse to sages/Indradyumna in the Purva-bhāga context
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
Indirectly: it teaches that inner purification is supported by outer disciplines—sacrificial completion (avabhṛtha) and selfless giving—preparing the practitioner for higher knowledge of the Self taught elsewhere in the Purāṇa.
No specific meditation is named; the verse emphasizes śuddhi (purification) through karma-yoga-like renunciation (sarvasva-dāna) and sacrificial completion, which function as prerequisites for steadiness in later yoga and jñāna instructions.
It does not mention Śiva or Viṣṇu explicitly; it reflects the Kurma Purana’s synthesis by presenting dharma-based purification as a shared foundation upon which both Śaiva (e.g., Pāśupata) and Vaiṣṇava paths can build toward liberation.