Parṇakurca
From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia
By Swami Harshananda
Parṇakurca literally means ‘an expiation in which leaves and dry grass are used’.
Significance of Parṇakṛcchra[edit]
The dharmaśāstras prescribe expiations for a variety of sins, both minor and major, committed by human beings knowingly or unknowingly. One group of such expiations is given the general name ‘kṛcchara’. The parṇakurca is also known as ‘parṇakṛcchra’. It is one of them.
Ritual of Parṇakṛcchra[edit]
The sinner for whom this expiation is prescribed has to give up food for five days and subsist only on the decoction of boiled leaves[1] for four days and then water in which a kurca[2] has been dipped.
Leaves for Parṇakṛcchra[edit]
The recommended leaves are:
- Palāśa - Butea frondosa
- Udumbara - Ficus glomerata
- Lotus
- Bilva - Aegle marmelos
Some works like the Viṣṇudharmasutras[3] give a longer duration of seven days adding the leaves of two more trees.
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore