Shloka 37
नरक-निर्णयः, पाप-कर्म-फल-व्यवस्था, प्रायश्चित्त-क्रमः, तथा हरि-स्मरण-परमत्वम्
पापानाम् अनुरूपाणि प्रायश्चित्तानि यद् यथा तथा तथैव संस्मृत्य प्रोक्तानि परमर्षिभिः
pāpānām anurūpāṇi prāyaścittāni yad yathā tathā tathaiva saṃsmṛtya proktāni paramarṣibhiḥ
Expiations, precisely proportioned to the nature of each sin—just as they apply in every case—have been recalled and taught in that very manner by the supreme seers.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Proportionate expiations (prāyaścitta) for different sins as taught by the seers
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: authoritative
Concept: Prāyaścitta is not arbitrary but must be proportioned to the specific nature and gravity of the sin, as remembered and transmitted by the great seers.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Practice moral discernment and accountability: match correction to the harm done, guided by reliable tradition and conscience.
Vishishtadvaita: Dharma is upheld as a divinely ordered discipline within the Lord’s governance, preparing the jīva for Godward orientation.
FAQs
This verse frames expiation as a dharmic corrective: specific sins require correspondingly specific remedies, preserving moral and cosmic order rather than treating all wrongdoing alike.
He grounds them in remembered sacred tradition—teachings transmitted by the highest sages—implying an established, graded system where the remedy matches the transgression.
Even when Vishnu is not named, the Purana’s dharma-teaching operates within Vaishnava theology: restoring right order through prescribed atonement aligns the individual with the Supreme Reality that sustains the universe.