Shloka 36
Adhyāya 33 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Post-Conflict Remorse and Inquiry on Āśrama Discipline (शोक-विमर्शः, आश्रम-जिज्ञासा)
तस्मिंस्तत् कलुषं सर्व समाप्तमिति शब्दितम् | प्रायश्षित्तं न तस्यास्ति हासो वा पापकर्मण:
tasmiṁs tat kaluṣaṁ sarvaṁ samāptam iti śabditam | prāyaścittaṁ na tasyāsti hāso vā pāpakarmaṇaḥ ||
Vyāsa sprach: „In einem solchen Menschen wird jener ganze Makel der Sünde von den Schriften als vollendet und fest gegründet bezeichnet. Für ihn gibt es keine Sühne; und keine Bußhandlung bewirkt die Vernichtung seiner sündhaften Tat.“
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that when a person’s inner intention remains sinful—without remorse or shame—the sin becomes fully entrenched, and ordinary expiations (prāyaścitta) are declared ineffective for removing it.
In the instruction of Śānti Parva, Vyāsa articulates a moral principle: the efficacy of atonement depends on inner transformation; where there is hardened intent and lack of repentance, scripture deems the sin ‘complete’ and not removable by ritual penance alone.