Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas: Liquor, Theft, Sexual Transgression, Contact with the Fallen, and Homicide
अमानुषीषु पुरुष उदक्यायामयोनिषु / रेतः सिक्त्वा जले चैव कृच्छ्रं सान्तपनं चरेत्
amānuṣīṣu puruṣa udakyāyāmayoniṣu / retaḥ siktvā jale caiva kṛcchraṃ sāntapanaṃ caret
หากบุรุษหลั่งน้ำอสุจิในสัตว์ที่ไม่ใช่มนุษย์ ในหญิงที่มีระดู ในที่ที่ไม่ใช่อวัยวะเพศ หรือในน้ำ เขาควรบำเพ็ญตบะกฤจฉระและสานตปนะเพื่อเป็นการไถ่บาป
Sūta (narrator) conveying the Kurma Purana’s dharma-śāstra injunctions
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: shanta
This verse does not directly teach Ātman-metaphysics; it operates on the dharma level, prescribing prāyaścitta so that the practitioner’s conduct and purity support steadiness of mind—an indirect aid to self-knowledge emphasized elsewhere in the Kurma Purana.
No specific meditation is described; the practices are tapas-based purifications (Kṛcchra and Sāntapana). In the Kurma Purana’s broader synthesis, such self-restraint and expiation function as ethical foundations (yama-like discipline) that prepare one for higher Yoga and devotion.
The verse is neutral on sectarian theology; it reflects shared dharma norms accepted across Śaiva–Vaiṣṇava traditions. The Kurma Purana’s larger teaching integrates such dharma with devotion and Yoga, presenting a harmonized path rather than a sectarian divide.