Shloka 20
Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas — Brahmahatyā, Association with the Fallen, and Tīrtha-Based Purification
दीर्घामयान्वितं विप्रं कृत्वानामयमेव तु / दत्त्वा चान्नं स दुर्भिक्षे ब्रह्महत्यां व्यपोहति
dīrghāmayānvitaṃ vipraṃ kṛtvānāmayameva tu / dattvā cānnaṃ sa durbhikṣe brahmahatyāṃ vyapohati
قحط کے زمانے میں جو شخص طویل بیماری میں مبتلا برہمن کو شفا دے اور اسے اناج کا دان دے، وہ برہمن ہتیا (برہماہتیا) کے گناہ کو دور کر دیتا ہے۔
Lord Kūrma (Viṣṇu) instructing sages on dāna-dharma and prāyaścitta
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
Indirectly: it emphasizes inner purification (pāpa-kṣaya) through compassionate dharma; the Kurma Purana frames such purification as a prerequisite for steadiness of mind, which supports Self-knowledge (ātma-jñāna) taught more explicitly elsewhere (e.g., Ishvara Gita sections).
Not a seated meditation technique, but karma-yoga in a dhārmic form: selfless service (paropakāra) and annadāna in crisis, coupled with prāyaścitta. Such sattva-increasing action is treated as supportive discipline for higher yogic practice in the Purana’s broader teaching.
The verse is primarily ethical and expiatory rather than theological; consistent with the Kurma Purana’s Shiva–Vishnu synthesis, it presents dharma and purification as universal means endorsed across sectarian lines, preparing the practitioner for devotion and yogic realization.