Shloka 13
Śīla-prāpti and Śīla-lakṣaṇa (शीलप्राप्ति-शीललक्षणम्) | On the Acquisition and Marks of Character
यः पाप॑ कुरुते राजा काममोहबलात्कृतः । प्रत्यासन्नस्य तस्यर्षे कि स्थात् पापप्रणाशनम्
yaḥ pāpaṃ karute rājā kāma-moha-balāt kṛtaḥ | pratyāsannasya tasyarṣe kiṃ syāt pāpa-praṇāśanam ||
भीष्म ने कहा—हे महर्षे! यदि कोई राजा काम और मोह के वशीभूत होकर पाप कर बैठे, परन्तु बाद में उसके हृदय में पश्चात्ताप जाग उठे, तो उस पाप के विनाश के लिए कौन-सा प्रायश्चित्त है?
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when wrongdoing is driven by desire and delusion, the text frames moral recovery through prāyaścitta (expiation) grounded in remorse and a return to dharma, emphasizing accountability in kingship.
In the Śānti Parva’s dharma-discourse, Bhīṣma raises a question to a sage about what expiatory measure can remove a king’s sin when the king later becomes repentant.