Srimad Bhagavatam — Shashtha Skandha, Shloka 40
Nārāyaṇa-kavaca — The Armor of Lord Nārāyaṇa
गगनान्न्यपतत् सद्य: सविमानो ह्यवाक् शिरा: । स वालिखिल्यवचनादस्थीन्यादाय विस्मित: । प्रास्य प्राचीसरस्वत्यां स्नात्वा धाम स्वमन्वगात् ॥ ४० ॥
gaganān nyapatat sadyaḥ savimāno hy avāk-śirāḥ sa vālikhilya-vacanād asthīny ādāya vismitaḥ prāsya prācī-sarasvatyāṁ snātvā dhāma svam anvagāt
Suddenly Citraratha, along with his vimāna, fell from the sky headfirst. Astonished, and by the command of the great Vālikhilya sages, he took the brāhmaṇa’s bones and cast them into the nearby Prācī Sarasvatī River; after bathing there, he returned to his own abode.
FAQs
This verse shows a pattern of atonement and purification: following saintly instruction, performing a corrective act (casting the bones), bathing for purification, and then returning to one’s proper destination.
They function as authoritative saintly guides—his actions (collecting the bones and casting them into the Sarasvatī) are explicitly done according to their instruction, emphasizing the power of sādhus’ counsel.
When one makes a serious mistake, don’t rationalize it—seek guidance from spiritually mature persons, take concrete steps to rectify and purify, and then resume one’s rightful duties with humility.