Shloka 28
Babhruvāhana’s Lament and Appeal for Expiation (प्रायश्चित्त-याचना)
व्यादिशन्तु च किं विप्रा: प्रायश्ित्तमिहाद्य मे । सुनृशंसस्य पापस्य पितृहन्तू रणाजिरे
vyādiśantu ca kiṁ viprāḥ prāyaścittam ihādya me | sunṛśaṁsasya pāpasya pitṛhantū raṇājire ||
Vaiśampāyana dijo: «Oh brāhmaṇas, prescribidme, aquí y ahora, la expiación, el prāyaścitta. Soy sumamente cruel y pecador: aquel que ha dado muerte a su propio padre en el campo de batalla.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even acts committed amid war can carry grave moral and ritual consequences; dharma requires acknowledging wrongdoing and seeking appropriate prāyaścitta through qualified spiritual authorities rather than denying guilt or justifying cruelty.
A remorseful speaker addresses brāhmaṇas, confessing that he has killed his father in battle and asking them to prescribe an immediate expiation, framing the moment as a crisis of conscience and dharmic accountability.