Shloka 41
Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas: Liquor, Theft, Sexual Transgression, Contact with the Fallen, and Homicide
ओङ्कारपूर्विकाभिस्तु महाव्याहृतिभिः सदा / संवत्सरं तु भुञ्जानो नक्तं भिक्षाशनः शुचिः
oṅkārapūrvikābhistu mahāvyāhṛtibhiḥ sadā / saṃvatsaraṃ tu bhuñjāno naktaṃ bhikṣāśanaḥ śuciḥ
พึงสาธยายมหาวยาหฤติทั้งหลายที่มีโอมเป็นบทนำอยู่เสมอ; ตลอดหนึ่งปีให้ดำรงตนบริสุทธิ์ กินเพียงครั้งเดียวในยามค่ำ ด้วยอาหารบิณฑบาต.
Lord Kūrma (Vishnu) instructing sages on vrata and disciplined recitation
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
By prescribing Oṃ-led Vyāhṛti-japa with strict purity and restraint, the verse implies that realization is approached through inner purification and one-pointed remembrance of the Supreme signified by Oṃ—leading the mind toward the Self beyond ritual externals.
Mantra-japa of the Mahāvyāhṛtis preceded by Oṃ, combined with tapas: naktabhojana (eating once at night), bhikṣā (alms-based living), and śauca (purity). This aligns with Kurma Purana’s discipline-oriented Yoga ethos used for citta-śuddhi (mental purification).
Though not naming Shiva directly, the practice-centered teaching reflects the Purana’s synthetic stance: liberation is pursued through shared yogic-tapas traditions (often Shaiva in tone) while taught by Vishnu as Kūrma—indicating convergent paths rather than sectarian opposition.