Shloka 36
Prāyaścitta and Contextual Non-Culpability (प्रायश्चित्त-निमित्त-अदोषवाद)
एष एव तु सर्वेषामकार्याणां विधिर्भवेत् । ब्राह्मणोक्तेन विधिना दृष्टान्तागमहेतु्भि:
eṣa eva tu sarveṣām akāryāṇāṁ vidhir bhavet | brāhmaṇoktena vidhinā dṛṣṭāntāgamahetubhiḥ ||
Dies allein ist die rechte Vorschrift für alle verbotenen Handlungen: Zur Läuterung der Sünde soll man Sühne in eben dieser Weise vollziehen—gemäß dem Verfahren, das die brahmanischen Autoritäten lehren, gestützt auf beispielhafte Präzedenzfälle und auf die begründeten Gründe der heiligen Überlieferung.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
For any prohibited or blameworthy action, the proper response is prāyaścitta (expiation) performed according to authoritative Brahmanical procedure, justified by scriptural tradition and supported by examples and reasoning.
Vyāsa is laying down a general rule within a dharma-discussion: he summarizes that the same principled method—scripturally grounded expiation—applies broadly to all kinds of wrongful acts.