Shloka 47
Prāyaścitta for Food-Contact, Social Contact, Aśauca Periods, and Formal Penance Systems
स्त्रीरजः पतितं मध्ये त्रिंशत्कुम्भान्समुद्धरेत् / अगम्यागमनं कृत्वा मद्यगोमांसभक्षणम्
strīrajaḥ patitaṃ madhye triṃśatkumbhānsamuddharet / agamyāgamanaṃ kṛtvā madyagomāṃsabhakṣaṇam
If one causes a woman’s menstrual blood to fall into the midst of what should be kept ritually pure, one should draw out (remove and discard) thirty pots (of the affected portion). Likewise, one who has intercourse with a forbidden woman, and one who drinks liquor and eats the flesh of a cow, are counted among grave transgressors requiring expiation (prāyaścitta).
Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vinatā-putra)
Concept: Severe impurity and grave sins (sexual transgression, liquor, cow-flesh) demand strong remedial measures; ritual contamination requires substantial removal (thirty pots).
Vedantic Theme: Karma and saṃskāra: actions imprint consequences; dharma provides corrective disciplines to restore order and sattva.
Application: Respect consent, boundaries, and ethical conduct; avoid intoxicant abuse and cruelty; when harm occurs, undertake accountability, restitution, and disciplined reform (parallel to prāyaścitta).
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Type: domestic/ritual boundary zone
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.222 (prāyaścitta/mahāpātaka discussions in adjacent verses)
FAQs
The verse links specific acts of defilement and prohibited conduct with the need for prāyaścitta, emphasizing that ritual impurity and grave sins have karmic consequences that must be addressed through prescribed corrective measures.
By classifying acts like forbidden sexual relations and consuming liquor/cow flesh as serious transgressions, it supports the Garuda Purana’s broader teaching that such actions shape one’s karmic burden and can lead to suffering in Yama’s realm unless rectified.
Treat ethical boundaries and sacred norms with seriousness, avoid intoxicants and harmful dietary/behavioral choices that violate one’s dharma, and when wrongdoing occurs, pursue sincere correction—restraint, restitution, and appropriate atonement per one’s tradition.