Shloka 1
Dāna as Prāyaścitta; Deathbed Gifts; Antyeṣṭi Procedures; Nārāyaṇa-bali for Untimely Deaths
नाम तृतीयो ऽध्यायः श्रीकृष्ण उवाच / ज्ञानतो ऽज्ञानतो वापियन्नरैः कलुषं कृतम् / तस्य पापस्य शुद्ध्यर्थं विधेया निष्कृतिर्नरैः
nāma tṛtīyo 'dhyāyaḥ śrīkṛṣṇa uvāca / jñānato 'jñānato vāpiyannaraiḥ kaluṣaṃ kṛtam / tasya pāpasya śuddhyarthaṃ vidheyā niṣkṛtirnaraiḥ
Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: Whether knowingly or unknowingly, whatever defilement people have committed—so that sin may be purified, human beings should perform niṣkṛti, the prescribed expiatory remedy.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa (as narrator/teacher within the Purāṇic discourse)
Concept: Both deliberate and inadvertent wrongdoing generate impurity; purification requires appropriate expiatory action (niṣkṛti/prāyaścitta).
Vedantic Theme: Karma is inexorable yet remediable through dharmic correction; purification supports sattva and readiness for higher knowledge/bhakti.
Application: When harm is done: acknowledge, cease the act, make amends, undertake disciplined corrective practices (vows, charity, japa, fasting) per capacity and tradition.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Related Themes: Garuda Purana prāyaścitta/niṣkṛti chapters following this opening, detailing expiations for specific transgressions; Garuda Purana emphasis that prāyaścitta supports favorable post-mortem outcomes
FAQs
This verse states that sins create impurity whether done knowingly or unknowingly, and therefore a deliberate expiatory remedy (niṣkṛti) is prescribed to purify that pāpa.
By emphasizing purification of pāpa through niṣkṛti, the verse sets the ethical and ritual foundation for reducing karmic burden that can otherwise lead to suffering in post-death states and Yama’s domains described later.
Acknowledge both intentional and accidental harms, then adopt corrective actions—confession, restitution, disciplined vows, charity, and sincere spiritual practice—as one’s personal form of niṣkṛti aligned with dharma.