Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 25

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

Devanagari script

मातृष्वसां मातुलानीं तथैव च पितृष्वसाम् / भागिनेयीं समारुह्य कुर्यात् कृच्छ्रातिकृच्छ्रकौ

Transliteration

mātṛṣvasāṃ mātulānīṃ tathaiva ca pitṛṣvasām / bhāgineyīṃ samāruhya kuryāt kṛcchrātikṛcchrakau

Translation

ఎవరైనా మేనత్త (మాతృస్వస), మామ భార్య, పిన్ని (పితృస్వస), లేదా సోదరి కుమార్తెతో గమిస్తే, ‘కృచ్ఛ్ర’ మరియు ‘అతికృచ్ఛ్ర’ అనే ఘోర ప్రాయశ్చిత్తాలు చేయాలి।

Word by Word

• mātṛṣvasāṃ: mother’s sister (maternal aunt)
• mātṛṣvasāṃ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātṛ-svasṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष): mātṛ ‘mother’ + svasṛ ‘sister’; Feminine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• mātulānīṃ: maternal uncle’s wife
• mātulānīṃ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātulānī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha/Adverbial (सम्बन्ध/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण) ‘thus/likewise’

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Emphasis (बल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (निपात)

• ca: and
• ca: Connector (योजक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय) ‘and’

• pitṛṣvasām: father’s sister (paternal aunt)
• pitṛṣvasām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ-svasṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष): pitṛ ‘father’ + svasṛ ‘sister’; Feminine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• bhāgineyīṃ: sister’s daughter (niece)
• bhāgineyīṃ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāgineyī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• samāruhya: having had intercourse with / having mounted
• samāruhya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-ruh (धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त), from √रुह् with prefixes सम्-आ-; ‘having mounted/approached (sexually)’ (contextual)

• kuryāt: should perform
• kuryāt: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Optative (विधिलिङ्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन); parasmaipada

• kṛcchra-ati-kṛcchrakau: the Kṛcchra and Ati-kṛcchra penances (two)
• kṛcchra-ati-kṛcchrakau: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛcchra (प्रातिपदिक) + ati-kṛcchra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Dvandva (इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व) naming two penances; Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Dual (द्विवचन)

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) relaying the Kurma Purana’s dharma-śāstric injunctions

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bibhatsa

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Kṛcchra
• Atikṛcchra
• Prāyaścitta
• Varnāśrama-dharma

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

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

This verse does not directly teach ātma-jñāna; it establishes ethical restraints (dharma) and purification (prāyaścitta), which the Purāṇic tradition treats as foundational supports for inner clarity that later aids Self-knowledge.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No meditative technique is specified; the emphasis is on tapas-based purification through Kṛcchra and Atikṛcchra—disciplines that function as preparatory austerities supporting yogic steadiness and moral restraint.

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

It does not discuss Śiva–Viṣṇu theology explicitly; it reflects the shared Purāṇic dharma framework upheld across Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava contexts, where ethical order and expiation safeguard spiritual progress.