Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 35
Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas and the Sin-destroying Power of Viṣṇu-smaraṇa
वक्ष्ये श्रृणुष्व विप्रेंद्र प्रायश्चजितोक्तिसाधनम् । गवाक्षागतमार्तण्डरश्मिमध्ये प्रदृश्यते ॥ ३५ ॥
vakṣye śrṛṇuṣva vipreṃdra prāyaścajitoktisādhanam | gavākṣāgatamārtaṇḍaraśmimadhye pradṛśyate || 35 ||
Ich werde es darlegen — höre, o Bester unter den Brahmanen — das Mittel, welches die Lehre vom Prāyaścitta (Sühne) bestätigt. Es ist deutlich zu sehen, wie Sonnenlicht mitten in den Strahlen, die durch ein Fenster fallen.
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in dialogue)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It frames prāyaścitta not as mere external ritual, but as a principle whose truth becomes evident when properly understood—like the sun recognized through its rays—pointing to clarity of conscience and dharmic restoration.
While bhakti is not named here, the verse supports a bhakti-aligned view: purification and atonement remove inner obscurations so devotion can shine unobstructed, just as sunlight becomes visible through the window’s opening.
It primarily highlights nyāya-like reasoning through analogy (dṛṣṭānta): understanding a doctrine by a clear illustrative example, useful for teaching dharma and ritual principles such as prāyaścitta.