Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 51
Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas and the Sin-destroying Power of Viṣṇu-smaraṇa
सुवर्णमानान्न्यूने तु रजतस्तेयकर्मणि । कुर्यात्सांतपनं सम्यगन्यथा पतितो भवेत् ॥ ५१ ॥
suvarṇamānānnyūne tu rajatasteyakarmaṇi | kuryātsāṃtapanaṃ samyaganyathā patito bhavet || 51 ||
কিন্তু স্বর্ণের মান-প্রমাণের চেয়ে কম পরিমাণ রৌপ্য চুরি হলে, যথাবিধি সান্তপন প্রায়শ্চিত্ত করা উচিত; নচেৎ সে পতিত হয়।
Narada (in a dharma/prāyaścitta instruction context)
Vrata: Sāṃtapana (prāyaścitta)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
It teaches that ethical breaches like theft require deliberate purification (prāyaścitta); neglecting prescribed atonement hardens impurity and leads to spiritual and social fall (patitatva).
Though primarily a dharma-verse, it supports bhakti indirectly: devotion is sustained by purity of conduct, and expiation restores the inner fitness needed for sincere worship and remembrance of the divine.
It highlights Kalpa/Smārta procedure—rule-based ritual expiation (Sāṃtapana) and proportionality of penance to the offense, a practical application of dharma-śāstric discipline.