Mahabharata — Ashvamedhika Parva, 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 ||
वायु ने कहा—शराबी, ब्राह्मण-हन्ता, चोर, भ्रूण-हन्ता और गुरु-पत्नी की शय्या का अपमान करने वाला—ऐसा घोर पापी भी, यदि सत्य और तीव्र तप करे, तो केवल तपस्या से ही उस पाप-भार से मुक्त हो जाता है।
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.