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 ||
Vāyu dit : «Même le buveur d’alcool, le meurtrier d’un brāhmane, le voleur, celui qui détruit un embryon et celui qui profane le lit du maître—bien qu’accablé d’un péché très grave—peut être délivré de cette faute par l’austérité seule, lorsqu’elle est entreprise avec vérité et ardeur.»
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.