Shloka 66
यादवक्षयः, बलराम-निर्याणम्, कृष्णस्य उपसंहारः (प्रभासे विनाशः)
अजानता कृतम् इदं मया हरिणशङ्कया क्षम्यतां नात्मपापेन दग्धं मां दग्धुम् अर्हसि
ajānatā kṛtam idaṃ mayā hariṇaśaṅkayā kṣamyatāṃ nātmapāpena dagdhaṃ māṃ dagdhum arhasi
“I did this in ignorance, mistaking you for a deer. Forgive me. Already scorched by my own sin, you ought not to burn me further.”
A remorseful offender (within the narrative frame narrated by Sage Parāśara to Maitreya) pleading for forgiveness after an accidental killing/mistaken attack
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Confession, repentance, and the Lord’s forgiveness
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: compassionate
Avatara: Krishna
Purpose: He receives the sinner’s confession and becomes the object of repentance, transforming ignorance into a plea for forgiveness.
Leela: Moksha-dana
Dharma Restored: Ethical restraint and acknowledgment of wrongdoing before the divine judge and refuge
Concept: Sin rooted in ignorance is owned through confession and a direct appeal to divine forgiveness, not denial.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Acknowledge harm without excuses, seek forgiveness, and commit to non-violence and mindful action.
Vishishtadvaita: Even when the jīva errs, the Lord remains approachable as a moral refuge who can absolve through grace.
Vishnu Form: Hari
Bhakti Type: Dasya
FAQs
The verse frames repentance as recognition of ignorance-born wrongdoing and appeals to forgiveness, emphasizing that inner remorse and karmic consequence already punish the offender.
Through the narrative, Parāśara presents pāpa as self-afflicting—“burning” the doer from within—illustrating that moral causality operates inevitably within the cosmic order upheld by Vishnu.
Even when Vishnu is not named, the verse presumes a universe governed by dharma and karma—an order ultimately rooted in Vishnu as the supreme sustaining reality in Vaishnava theology.