Shloka 52

Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas: Liquor, Theft, Sexual Transgression, Contact with the Fallen, and Homicide

Devanagari script

अभ्रीं कार्ष्णायसीं दद्यात् सर्पं हत्वा द्विजोत्तमः / पलालभारं षण्डं च सैसकं चैकमाषकम्

Transliteration

abhrīṃ kārṣṇāyasīṃ dadyāt sarpaṃ hatvā dvijottamaḥ / palālabhāraṃ ṣaṇḍaṃ ca saisakaṃ caikamāṣakam

Translation

سانپ کو مارنے پر بہترین دوج کو لوہے کی کدال، بھوسے کا بوجھ، ایک بیل اور ایک ماشک سیسہ خیرات کرنا چاہیے۔

Word by Word

• abhrīm: a spade/shovel
• abhrīm: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: abhrī (अभ्री प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana

• kārṣṇāyasīm: made of iron
• kārṣṇāyasīm: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kārṣṇāyasī (कार्ष्णायसी प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana; agrees with abhrīm; samāsa: kṛṣṇa + ayas (made of black iron)

• dadyāt: should give
• dadyāt: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (दा धातु)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (optative), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana

• sarpam: a snake
• sarpam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarpa (सर्प प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana

• hatvā: having killed
• hatvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: han (हन् धातु)
• Form: Ktvā (क्त्वा) absolutive/gerund

• dvijottamaḥ: the best of the twice-born
• dvijottamaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija + uttama (द्विज + उत्तम प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā vibhakti, Ekavacana; samāsa: dvija-uttama (best among twice-born)

• palālabhāram: a load of straw
• palālabhāram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: palāla + bhāra (पलाल + भार प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana; samāsa: palāla-bhāra (load of straw)

• ṣaṇḍam: a bull/ox (ṣaṇḍa)
• ṣaṇḍam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṣaṇḍa (षण्ड प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha-sūcaka (सम्बन्धसूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (च अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction

• saisakam: a piece of lead (or leaden object)
• saisakam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saisaka (सैसक प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Dvitīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha-sūcaka (सम्बन्धसूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (च अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction

• eka-māṣakam: one māṣaka (measure/coin)
• eka-māṣakam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: eka + māṣaka (एक + माषक प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसकलिङ्ग, Dvitīyā vibhakti, Ekavacana; dvigu: eka + māṣaka (one māṣaka measure/coin)

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator (instructional dharma passage on prāyaścitta)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa (dvija)
• Sarpa (serpent)
• Dāna (charitable expiation)

More Details (3 sections)

FAQs

How does this verse explain the nature of the Supreme Self (Atman)?

This verse is primarily dharma-śāstric (prāyaścitta) rather than metaphysical; it teaches ethical accountability for harm (hiṃsā) through corrective giving (dāna), which supports inner purification conducive to Self-knowledge.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No direct yoga technique is stated; the implied discipline is moral purification through prāyaścitta—reducing guilt and agitation (citta-kṣobha) so that later śaiva-vaiṣṇava contemplative practices can be undertaken with steadiness.

How does this verse depict the relationship between Shiva and Vishnu?

The verse does not explicitly mention Śiva or Viṣṇu; it reflects the Purāṇic synthesis indirectly by grounding spiritual life in dharma (non-harm and expiation), a shared ethical foundation across Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava paths in the Kūrma tradition.