Shloka 28
Prāyaścitta for Theft, Forbidden Foods, Impurity, and Ritual Lapses; Tīrtha–Vrata Remedies; Pativratā Mahātmyam via Sītā and Agni
चाण्डालान्नं द्विजो भुक्त्वा सम्यक् चान्द्रायणं चरेत् / बुद्धिपूर्वं तु कृच्छ्राब्दं पुनः संस्कारमेव च
cāṇḍālānnaṃ dvijo bhuktvā samyak cāndrāyaṇaṃ caret / buddhipūrvaṃ tu kṛcchrābdaṃ punaḥ saṃskārameva ca
二次生者若食旃陀罗（Caṇḍāla）之食，当如法修行 Cāndrāyaṇa 以作忏悔。若明知而食，则须行 Kṛcchra 苦行满一年，继而再受净化重行诸 saṃskāra（再度成礼）。
Sūta (narrating Vyāsa’s teaching to the sages) — Dharma-vidhi section of the Kūrma Purāṇa
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
This verse is not a direct Ātman-teaching; it frames dharmic purification (prāyaścitta) as a prerequisite for inner clarity, which the Purāṇa elsewhere treats as supportive for knowledge of the Self.
No meditation is prescribed here; instead it prescribes austerities (Cāndrāyaṇa, Kṛcchra) that function as tapas and self-discipline—foundational supports for later Yogic and devotional practice in the Kūrma Purāṇa.
It does not address Śiva–Viṣṇu theology directly; it belongs to the Dharma-vidhi layer of the text, which the Kūrma Purāṇa integrates with its broader Śaiva–Vaiṣṇava synthesis in other sections.