Shloka 46
Prāyaścitta and Contextual Non-Culpability (प्रायश्चित्त-निमित्त-अदोषवाद)
शकक््यते विधिना पापं यथोक्तेन व्यपोहितुम् । आस्तिके श्रद्धधाने च विधिरेष विधीयते,शास्त्रोक्त विधिसे प्रायश्चित्त करके सारा पाप दूर किया जा सकता है। परंतु यह विधि आस्तिक और श्रद्धालु पुरुषके लिये ही कही गयी है
śakyate vidhinā pāpaṁ yathoktena vyapohitum | āstike śraddadhāne ca vidhireṣa vidhīyate ||
Dosa dapat disingkirkan melalui tata cara yang ditetapkan, persis sebagaimana diajarkan. Namun ketentuan ini hanya berlaku bagi orang yang beriman (āstika) dan menjalankannya dengan penuh keyakinan.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Scriptural expiation can remove sin, but it is effective and applicable only for a believer who performs it with genuine faith; inner assent and trust are treated as prerequisites for the prescribed remedy.
In Vyāsa’s instruction within Śānti Parva’s dharma-discourse, he clarifies the conditions under which prāyaścitta (atonement) works: the method is as taught in śāstra, yet it is intended for the āstika and the śraddadhāna—those who accept and faithfully follow the injunctions.