Kurma Purana — Uttara Bhaga, Shloka 48
Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas: Liquor, Theft, Sexual Transgression, Contact with the Fallen, and Homicide
निहत्य ब्राह्मणीं विप्रस्त्वष्टवर्षं व्रतं चरेत् / राजन्यां वर्षषट्कं तु वैश्यां संवत्सरत्रयम् / वत्सरेण विशुद्ध्येत शूद्रां हत्वा द्विजोत्तमः
nihatya brāhmaṇīṃ viprastvaṣṭavarṣaṃ vrataṃ caret / rājanyāṃ varṣaṣaṭkaṃ tu vaiśyāṃ saṃvatsaratrayam / vatsareṇa viśuddhyeta śūdrāṃ hatvā dvijottamaḥ
Matapos mapatay ang isang babaeng Brāhmaṇa, ang isang Brāhmaṇa ay dapat magsagawa ng panata ng pagbabayad-puri sa loob ng walong taon. Para sa pagpatay sa isang babaeng Kṣatriya, (dapat niya itong gawin) sa loob ng anim na taon; para sa isang babaeng Vaiśya, sa loob ng tatlong taon. Ngunit matapos mapatay ang isang babaeng Śūdra, ang pinakamahusay sa mga ipinanganak nang dalawang beses ay dadalisay sa loob ng isang taon.
Sūta (narrating Purāṇic dharma-teachings to the sages, within the Kurma Purana’s discourse framework)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
This verse is primarily dharmaśāstric, prescribing prāyaścitta (expiation) for grave harm; it does not directly teach ātman-metaphysics, but it assumes moral accountability and purification as prerequisites for spiritual clarity.
The verse highlights vrata (disciplined observance) as a purification practice; in Purāṇic spirituality, such restraint supports inner purification that can later mature into higher sādhana such as japa, dhyāna, and (in the Kurma Purana’s broader frame) Pāśupata-oriented discipline.
It does not explicitly discuss Śiva–Viṣṇu unity; it belongs to the Kurma Purana’s shared dharma layer that both Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava traditions accept as ethical groundwork for higher realization.