History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c71.s1.329

v5.c71.s1.329

(4)—(8) The murderer of a brāhmaṇa may perform the Aśvamedha sacrifice or Gosava or Abhijit or Viśvajit or the threefold Agniṣṭut (Manu XI. 74) The Aśvamedha could be performed only by a king or an emperor (samrāj). The others could be performed by any one belonging to the three higher classes This applies only where the murder was unintentional as stated by Kullūka following the Bhaviṣyapurāṇa.²¹⁶ Viṣṇu dharmasūtra (chap. 35 last verse) states that all persons guilty of any of the 'mahāpātakas are purified by the performance of Aśvamedha or by going to all the tīrthas on the earth.