Shloka 7
Prāyaścitta for Food-Contact, Social Contact, Aśauca Periods, and Formal Penance Systems
चान्द्रायणं पराकं वा द्विजातीनां विशोधनम् / प्राजापत्यन्तु शूद्रस्य पश्चाज्ज्ञाते तथापरे
cāndrāyaṇaṃ parākaṃ vā dvijātīnāṃ viśodhanam / prājāpatyantu śūdrasya paścājjñāte tathāpare
Für die Zweimalgeborenen (dvija) ist zur Reinigung das Gelübde Cāndrāyaṇa oder die Buße Parāka vorgeschrieben; für einen Śūdra jedoch ist die Buße Prājāpatya geboten. Auch andere lehren dies nach reiflicher Erwägung.
Lord Vishnu
Concept: Varṇa-differentiated prāyaścitta: Cāndrāyaṇa/Parāka for dvija; Prājāpatya for śūdra; authority grounded in considered tradition.
Vedantic Theme: Karma and its remediation within dharmic order; tapas as a means to attenuate pāpa and re-establish inner steadiness.
Application: When purification is required, undertake the prescribed penance appropriate to one’s dharmic category per the text’s system; consult competent tradition/teachers for correct observance.
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: ashrama/ritual observance setting
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.222: prāyaścitta catalog and śuddhi gradations
FAQs
This verse frames prāyaścitta as a means of viśodhana (purification), prescribing specific vows/penances according to social duty categories to restore dharmic order after wrongdoing.
The Garuda Purana often links sinful action to post-death suffering; here it highlights remedial disciplines—Cāndrāyaṇa, Parāka, and Prājāpatya—as corrective measures intended to avert or lessen karmic and afterlife consequences through disciplined atonement.
Treat wrongdoing as requiring concrete correction: adopt disciplined restraint (fasting, vows, charity, self-control) under guidance, and focus on sincere reform rather than mere guilt.