Shloka 29
Adhyāya 166: Kṛtaghna-doṣa (कृतघ्नदोषः) — the fault of ingratitude and the limits of expiation
यदेकरात्रेण करोति पाप॑ निकृष्टवर्ण ब्राह्मण: सेवमान: । स्थानासनाभ्यां विहरन् व्रती स त्रिभिर्वर्ष: शमयेदात्मपापम्
yad ekarātreṇa karoti pāpaṁ nikṛṣṭavarṇa brāhmaṇaḥ sevamānaḥ | sthānāsanābhyāṁ viharan vratī sa tribhir varṣaiḥ śamayet ātmapāpam ||
ビーシュマは言った。婆羅門が、たとえ一夜であっても卑しい身分の者に仕え、あるいは同じ場所に居合わせ、同じ座に連なって交わるなら、道徳の穢れを負う。戒めの誓いを守り、大地を遍歴して生きることによって、その罪は三年のうちに鎮まり、除かれる。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a dharma-śāstric idea of moral taint arising from intimate association (service, sharing place/seat) with someone deemed socially degraded, and prescribes a specific prāyaścitta: sustained vow-observance and wandering for three years to neutralize the incurred sin.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and expiation, Bhishma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira by citing a rule-like statement: even brief association can generate demerit under certain purity norms, and he states the corresponding remedy and its duration.