Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 91
Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas and the Sin-destroying Power of Viṣṇu-smaraṇa
प्रायश्चित्तं तु तेषां च कुर्यादेवं यथाविधि । प्रायश्चित्तानि यः कुर्यान्नारायणपरायणः ॥ ९१ ॥
prāyaścittaṃ tu teṣāṃ ca kuryādevaṃ yathāvidhi | prāyaścittāni yaḥ kuryānnārāyaṇaparāyaṇaḥ || 91 ||
For them too, one should perform the prescribed expiatory rites in this very manner, according to rule. Whoever undertakes these expiations should do so as one wholly devoted to Nārāyaṇa.
Sanatkumara (in instruction to Narada, within the Narada–Sanatkumara dialogue)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It teaches that expiation is not merely a mechanical ritual: it must be performed correctly (yathāvidhi) and with the inner stance of surrender to Nārāyaṇa, making repentance and purification spiritually transformative.
Bhakti is presented as the governing intention behind even corrective rites—one performs prāyaścitta as a Nārāyaṇa-parāyaṇa, placing God at the center rather than ego, fear, or social pressure.
The emphasis on yathāvidhi points to Kalpa (ritual procedure) and Dharmashastra-style rule-following—doing expiations with proper method, sequence, and injunction-based discipline.