Shloka 18
Adhyāya 51: Kṛṣṇa’s Leave-Taking and Departure for Dvārakā (द्वारकागमनानुमति)
सुरापो ब्रह्महा स्तेयी भ्रूणहा गुरुतल्पग: । तपसैव सुतप्तेन मुच्यते किल्बिषात् ततः
surāpo brahmahā steyī bhrūṇahā gurutalpagaḥ | tapasaiva sutaptena mucyate kilbiṣāt tataḥ ||
Dijo Vāyu: «Aun el bebedor de licor, el matador de un brāhmaṇa, el ladrón, quien destruye un embrión y quien viola el lecho del maestro—por más que cargue con un pecado gravísimo—puede ser liberado de esa culpa únicamente mediante la austeridad, cuando se practica de verdad y con intensidad.»
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that even the gravest moral transgressions are not beyond remedy: sincere, intense tapas (austerity and disciplined self-purification) can remove the burden of guilt and restore moral standing.
Vāyu-deva is speaking and enumerates major sins recognized in dharma traditions, asserting that rigorous austerity functions as a means of expiation and release from the resulting moral taint.