Shloka 37
Babhruvāhana’s Lament and Appeal for Expiation (प्रायश्चित्त-याचना)
न हि मे पितरं हत्वा निष्कृतिर्विद्यते क्वचित् | नरकं प्रतिपत्स्यामि ध्रुवं गुरुवधार्दित:
na hi me pitaraṃ hatvā niṣkṛtir vidyate kvacit | narakaṃ pratipatsyāmi dhruvaṃ guruvadhārditaḥ ||
Bagiku, setelah membunuh ayah sendiri, tidak ada penebusan di mana pun. Dihimpit dosa membunuh guru—yakni ayah—aku pasti jatuh ke neraka.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the grave ethical weight of killing one’s father—treated as guru-vadha—and the fear that such an act may be beyond ordinary expiation, leading to inevitable karmic downfall (naraka).
Vaishampayana reports a speaker’s anguished confession: having killed his father, he sees no available atonement and anticipates certain descent into hell due to the sin of slaying a revered elder (guru).