Shloka 23
अज्ञान–लोभयोः परस्परहेतुत्वम्
Mutual Causality of Ignorance and Greed
विकर्मणा तप्यमान: पापादू विपरिमुच्यते । नैतत् कार्य पुनरिति द्वितीयात् परिमुच्यते,यदि कोई शास्त्रविरुद्ध कर्म बन जाय तो उसके लिये पश्चात्ताप करनेवाला पुरुष पापसे मुक्ता हो जाता है। यदि दूसरी बार पाप बन जाय तो “अब फिर ऐसा काम नहीं करूँगा! ऐसी प्रतिज्ञा करनेसे वह पापमुक्त हो सकता है
vikarmaṇā tapyamānaḥ pāpād vai parimucyate | naitat kāryaṃ punar iti dvitīyāt parimucyate ||
Śaunaka said: A person who is tormented by remorse after committing an act contrary to śāstra is released from the sin through that penitential suffering. And if the fault occurs a second time, one becomes free from it by making the firm resolve, “I will not do this again.”
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sin arising from vikarma is mitigated through sincere remorse (inner ‘burning’ that functions as penance), and lasting moral recovery is secured by a clear vow of non-repetition—especially when the same fault threatens to recur.
In the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, Śaunaka states a rule of ethical repair: wrongdoing should be met first with genuine repentance, and if repeated, with a decisive commitment to stop—presenting a practical path of prāyaścitta and self-discipline.