Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 41
Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas and the Sin-destroying Power of Viṣṇu-smaraṇa
करीषच्छादितो दग्धः स्तेयपापाद्विमुच्यते । ब्रह्मस्वं क्षत्रियो हृत्वा पश्चात्तापमवाप्य च ॥ ४१ ॥
karīṣacchādito dagdhaḥ steyapāpādvimucyate | brahmasvaṃ kṣatriyo hṛtvā paścāttāpamavāpya ca || 41 ||
Celui qui est couvert de bouse de vache puis brûlé est délivré du péché de vol. De même, un kṣatriya qui a pris le bien d’un brāhmane se purifie après avoir connu le repentir (paścāttāpa).
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada on prāyaścitta and dharma)
Vrata: prāyaścitta for steya / brahmasva-apahāra
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It stresses that wrongdoing (especially theft) has karmic consequences, and that purification requires prāyaścitta—both an outer corrective act and inner moral reformation through remorse.
Though framed as dharma and expiation, it supports bhakti indirectly: sincere repentance and ethical rectification are presented as prerequisites for a pure mind fit for devotion and worship.
It reflects Dharma-śāstra style procedural knowledge—how specific sins are classified and what prāyaścitta is prescribed—useful for ritual conduct and social-ethical order rather than a technical Vedāṅga like Jyotiṣa.