Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 17
Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas and the Sin-destroying Power of Viṣṇu-smaraṇa
हत्वा तु विप्रमात्रं च चरेत्संवत्सरं व्रतम् । एवं विप्रस्य गदितः प्रायश्चित्तविधिर्द्विज ॥ १७ ॥
hatvā tu vipramātraṃ ca caretsaṃvatsaraṃ vratam | evaṃ viprasya gaditaḥ prāyaścittavidhirdvija || 17 ||
أمّا إن قتلَ براهمنًا واحدًا فحسب، فعليه أن يلتزم نذرَ الكفّارة سنةً كاملة. وهكذا، يا ذا الولادتين، قد بُيِّنَت طريقةُ التوبة عن قتلِ البراهمنَة.
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada)
Vrata: saṃvatsara-vrata (one-year expiatory vow)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
It frames prāyaścitta as a dharmic remedy: grave harm done to a Brāhmaṇa requires sustained self-restraint and ritual discipline (a year-long vrata) to purify the doer and restore moral order.
While primarily dharma-focused, it supports bhakti indirectly by emphasizing purification (śuddhi) through vrata; such purification is treated in Purāṇic teaching as a prerequisite for steady devotion and worship.
It reflects Kalpa (ritual procedure) through the idea of a defined prāyaścitta-vidhi and a time-bound vrata (one year), indicating structured rules for expiation within dharma-ritual practice.