Shloka 60
Adhyāya 166: Kṛtaghna-doṣa (कृतघ्नदोषः) — the fault of ingratitude and the limits of expiation
अल्पे वाप्यथ शोचेत पृथक् संवत्सरं चरेत् । त्रीणि श्रोत्रियभार्यायां परदारे च द्वे स्मृते
alpe vāpy atha śocet pṛthak saṃvatsaraṃ caret | trīṇi śrotriyabhāryāyāṃ paradāre ca dve smṛte ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Bahkan untuk kesalahan kecil pun seseorang patut menyesal dan menjalani penebusan dengan hidup terpisah selama setahun penuh. Jika mendekati istri seorang Brāhmaṇa śrotriya (yang terpelajar dalam Weda), ditetapkan tiga tahun; dan jika mendekati istri orang lain, dua tahun—demikian diingat dalam tradisi.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches graded expiation (prāyaścitta) proportional to the gravity of sexual misconduct: remorse is required even for minor faults, and stricter penance is prescribed for violating protected relationships—especially involving a Veda-learned Brāhmaṇa’s wife and, more generally, another man’s wife.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma after the war. Here he cites traditional Smṛti-based norms about remorse and periods of living apart as penance, specifying different durations depending on the offense.