Shloka 29
Babhruvāhana’s Lament and Appeal for Expiation (प्रायश्चित्त-याचना)
दुश्चरा द्वादशसमा हत्वा पितरमद्य वै । ममेह सुनृशंसस्य संवीतस्यास्य चर्मणा
duścarā dvādaśa-samā hatvā pitaram adya vai | mameha sunṛśaṁsasya saṁvītasyāsya carmaṇā ||
Waiśampāyana berkata: “Hari ini, setelah membunuh ayahku, amatlah sukar bagiku menjalani tapa-janji yang keras selama dua belas tahun. Aku kejam, bersalah sebagai pembunuh ayah; bagiku di sini hanya inilah penebusan: menyelubungi tubuhku dengan kulitnya sendiri, dan mengembara dua belas tahun sambil memanggul kepala serta tengkoraknya. Setelah membunuh ayah, tiada penebusan lain bagiku.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage underscores the Mahābhārata’s ethical framework in which certain acts—especially patricide—are treated as extraordinarily grave, demanding severe, long-term expiation. It highlights accountability: wrongdoing is not erased by regret alone but requires disciplined, socially visible penance aimed at moral restoration.
A speaker (reported by Vaiśaṃpāyana) declares that after killing his father he must undertake a twelve-year penance. The described expiation is extreme: covering the body with the father’s hide and wandering while bearing the father’s head/skull, emphasizing the weight of the अपराध (offense) and the perceived lack of any lighter remedy.