Shloka 2
Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas (Great Sins), Vows, Tīrtha, and Sin-Destroying Observances
पञ्च पातकिनस्त्वेते तत्संयोगी च पञ्चमः / उपपापानि गोहत्याप्रभृतीनि सुरा जगुः
pañca pātakinastvete tatsaṃyogī ca pañcamaḥ / upapāpāni gohatyāprabhṛtīni surā jaguḥ
These are the five great sinners; and as a fifth is reckoned the one who keeps company with them. The sages have also declared subsidiary sins (upapāpa), beginning with the killing of a cow.
Lord Vishnu (in discourse to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Concept: Mahāpātakas and upapātakas; moral contagion through association (saṅga-doṣa).
Vedantic Theme: Karma accrues through action and intentional proximity; saṃskāra shaping by company (satsaṅga vs duḥsaṅga).
Application: Choose company carefully; avoid complicity and enabling; treat harm to protected beings (like cows) as serious ethical violation.
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Related Themes: Garuda Purana dharma passages on pāpa-bheda (sin classifications) and saṅga-doṣa themes
FAQs
This verse frames a moral hierarchy: major sins define severe karmic culpability, and even association with such offenders is treated as spiritually dangerous, shaping one’s afterlife trajectory.
It explicitly counts “association with great sinners” as a punishable category, implying that habitual proximity, approval, or participation through companionship can transmit or reinforce adharmic tendencies.
Avoid enabling harmful actions through friendship, business, or social approval; choose communities and habits that support ethical conduct, accountability, and compassion toward living beings.