Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 22
Dharmopadeśa-Śānti: Rules of Impurity, Expiations, and Ancestor Rites
न चैते प्रव्रत्यवसिताः सर्वलोकबहिष्कृताः । चान्द्रायणेन शुद्ध्यंन्ति तत्पकृच्छ्रद्वयेन वा ॥ २२ ॥
na caite pravratyavasitāḥ sarvalokabahiṣkṛtāḥ | cāndrāyaṇena śuddhyaṃnti tatpakṛcchradvayena vā || 22 ||
And these persons are not to be regarded as permanently fallen from their religious observances, nor are they to be treated as outcast from all society; they become purified either by performing the Cāndrāyaṇa vow, or by undertaking the two Pakṛcchra penances prescribed for that offence.
Suta (narrating the teaching in the Purāṇic discourse)
Vrata: Cāndrāyaṇa; (two) Kṛcchra penances (pakṛcchra-dvaya)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
It teaches that ritual or moral lapses need not lead to permanent spiritual condemnation; prescribed prāyaścitta (like Cāndrāyaṇa or Pakṛcchra) restores purity and dharmic standing.
By emphasizing restoration rather than permanent exclusion, it supports continued eligibility for worship and devotion after atonement—implying that sincere corrective practice keeps one fit for bhakti and dharma.
Kalpa (ritual procedure) is implied: it references specific expiatory vratas—Cāndrāyaṇa and Pakṛcchra—showing how dharma is applied through regulated vows and penances.