Shloka 28
Prāyaścitta and Contextual Non-Culpability (प्रायश्चित्त-निमित्त-अदोषवाद)
निवेश्यं तु पुनस्तेन सदा तारयता हा | नतु स्त्रिया भवेद् दोषो न तु सा तेन,इसके सिवा, बड़े भाईका विवाह होनेके बाद पहलेका व्याहा हुआ छोटा भाई पितरोंके उद्धारके निमित्त पुनः विवाह-संस्कार करे; ऐसा करनेसे उस स्त्रीके कारण उसे दोष नहीं प्राप्त होता और न वह स्त्री ही उसके दोषसे लिप्त होती है
niveśyaṃ tu punas tena sadā tārayatā hā | na tu striyā bhaved doṣo na tu sā tena lipyate ||
Vyāsa said: If, after the elder brother’s marriage, the younger brother who had previously been married performs the marriage rite again for the sake of rescuing the ancestors, then no fault is incurred on account of that woman; nor is that woman tainted by any fault arising from him.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
A remedial re-performance of the marriage rite, when done with the dharmic intention of benefiting the ancestors, does not generate moral fault; importantly, the woman is explicitly protected from blame or moral taint.
Vyāsa lays down a rule-like clarification about a complex marital situation involving elder and younger brothers: after the elder brother’s marriage, the younger brother may undertake a renewed marriage-sacrament for ancestral deliverance, and neither he nor the woman should be considered culpable on that account.