Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 119
Pāpa-bheda, Naraka-yātanā, Mahāpātaka-vicāra, Atonement Limits, Daśa-vidhā Bhakti, and Gaṅgā as Final Remedy
न्याये च धर्मशिक्षायां पक्षपातं करोति यः । न तस्य निष्कृतिर्भूयः प्रायश्चित्तायुतैरपि ॥ ११९ ॥
nyāye ca dharmaśikṣāyāṃ pakṣapātaṃ karoti yaḥ | na tasya niṣkṛtirbhūyaḥ prāyaścittāyutairapi || 119 ||
Whoever shows partiality in the administration of justice and in the teaching of dharma—there is no further expiation for him, even by tens of thousands of acts of penance.
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in the dharma-upadesha context)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
It declares that bias in judgment and in teaching dharma is a grave breach of righteousness, so corrosive that ordinary expiations (prāyaścitta) cannot restore moral integrity once such trust is violated.
Bhakti rests on truthfulness and moral purity; partiality in dharma-teaching or justice distorts dharma itself, undermining the sincerity (śraddhā) required for genuine devotion and right conduct.
It points to dharma-śikṣā (authoritative instruction) and the disciplined application of rule-based judgment—skills tied to śāstra-based pedagogy and interpretive rigor (as in śikṣā and related śāstric teaching traditions), stressing impartial application rather than favoritism.