Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 29
Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas: Liquor, Theft, Sexual Transgression, Contact with the Fallen, and Homicide
सखिभार्यां समारुह्य गत्वा श्यालीं तथैव च / अहोरात्रोषितो भूत्वा तप्तकृच्छ्रं समाचरेत्
sakhibhāryāṃ samāruhya gatvā śyālīṃ tathaiva ca / ahorātroṣito bhūtvā taptakṛcchraṃ samācaret
Kung ang isang lalaki ay nakipagtalik sa asawa ng kaibigan, at gayundin sa hipag, kung gayon—pagkaraang manatili sa pagsisisi sa loob ng isang araw at isang gabi—dapat niyang ganap na isagawa ang Taptakṛcchra, ang “pinainit na kṛcchra” na pag-aayuno-pagtubos.
Sūta (narrator) recounting Vyāsa’s dharma-teaching on prāyaścitta to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: raudra
FAQs
This verse is primarily dharmic and juridical rather than metaphysical: it treats wrongdoing as a moral impurity that must be purified through prāyaścitta, implying that inner clarity conducive to realizing the Self is protected by ethical restraint and disciplined atonement.
The practice highlighted is a vrata-based austerity (Taptakṛcchra), a tapas-oriented discipline used as expiation. In the Kurma Purana’s broader spiritual frame, such tapas supports self-control (saṃyama) and purification (śuddhi), which are foundational supports for mantra, japa, and higher yogic concentration.
This specific verse does not directly discuss Shiva–Vishnu unity; it reflects shared purāṇic dharma where ethical order and expiation are upheld across Shaiva-Vaishnava traditions, forming the moral groundwork on which later syntheses (including Ishvara-centered devotion and yoga) are taught.