Shloka 24
अध्याय २९७ — श्रेयः, धृति, दान-नियमाः
Welfare, Steadfastness, and Norms of Giving
अयोजयित्वा क्लेशेन जन प्लाव्य च दुष्कृतम् । मृत्युना55त्मकृते नेह कर्म कृत्वा55त्मशक्तिभि:
ayojayitvā kleśena janaṁ plāvya ca duṣkṛtam | mṛtyunā ātmakṛte neha karma kṛtvā ātmaśaktibhiḥ ||
Parāśara berkata: “Tanpa menimbulkan derita bagi siapa pun, hendaknya seseorang membasuh keburukannya dengan tapa dan penebusan (prāyaścitta). Lalu, setelah melakukan kebajikan sesuai kesanggupannya, ia boleh menerima kematian dengan kehendaknya sendiri—bukan terseret oleh akibat dari perbuatan yang ia ciptakan sendiri.”
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Wrongdoing should be purified through penance and expiation without harming others; thereafter one should live by wholesome action within one’s capacity, meeting death with conscious acceptance rather than as a forced consequence of one’s own misdeeds.
In Śānti Parva’s dharma-instructional discourse, the sage Parāśara lays down a moral guideline: cleanse sin through prāyaścitta, avoid causing suffering to others, and then pursue good works proportionate to one’s strength, culminating in a composed acceptance of death.