Shloka 50
Prāyaścitta and Contextual Non-Culpability (प्रायश्चित्त-निमित्त-अदोषवाद)
अथवा ते घृणा काचित् प्रायश्षित्तं चरिष्यसि । मा त्वेवानार्यजुष्टेन मन्युना निधनं गम:
athavā te ghṛṇā kācit prāyaścittaṁ cariṣyasi | mā tv evānāryajuṣṭena manyunā nidhanaṁ gamaḥ ||
Ou bien, s’il demeure en ton esprit quelque aversion ou quelque remords à cause de ces événements passés, accomplis pour cela une expiation. Mais ne va pas à ta propre perte—ne recherche pas la mort—sous l’emprise du chagrin ou de la colère, sentiments chéris par les ignobles.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
If remorse or aversion arises from past deeds, it should be addressed through prāyaścitta (ethical expiation and reform), not through self-destruction. Anger-driven despair is labeled 'anārya'—unworthy of a noble person—and must not govern one’s actions.
Vyāsa counsels a distressed listener who is burdened by memories of earlier events. He offers a dharmic remedy—expiation and inner correction—while explicitly warning against yielding to ignoble anger or grief that could lead to choosing death.