Shloka 44
Prāyaścitta and Contextual Non-Culpability (प्रायश्चित्त-निमित्त-अदोषवाद)
भक्ष्याभक्ष्येषु चान्येषु वाच्यावाच्ये तथैव च । अज्ञानज्ञानयो राजन् विहितान्यनुजानतः
bhakṣyābhakṣyeṣu cānyeṣu vācyāvācye tathaiva ca | ajñānajñānayo rājan vihitāny anujānataḥ ||
Vyāsa sagte: „O König, diese Sühneriten sind für Verfehlungen vorgeschrieben, die betreffen, was gegessen werden darf oder nicht, was gesprochen werden darf oder nicht, und ebenso für Sünden, die wissentlich oder unwissentlich begangen wurden. Ein Einsichtiger soll sie mit klarem Verständnis und mit gebührender Erlaubnis, der Vorschrift gemäß, vollziehen.“
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Expiations are graded and prescribed for different kinds of lapses—dietary, verbal, and moral—taking into account whether the act was done knowingly or unknowingly; therefore one should perform prāyaścitta with understanding and in accordance with authorized scriptural procedure.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Vyāsa addresses the king and summarizes that the previously described prāyaścittas apply broadly to violations of food and speech rules, as well as to sins committed with or without awareness, emphasizing disciplined, duly sanctioned observance.