Shloka 51
Adhyāya 166: Kṛtaghna-doṣa (कृतघ्नदोषः) — the fault of ingratitude and the limits of expiation
नैर्कतीं दिशमास्थाय निपतेत् स त्वजिह्मृग: । ब्राह्मणार्थेडपि वा प्राणान् संत्यजेत् तेन शुद्धयति
nairṛtīṁ diśam āsthāya nipatet sa tv ajihmṛgaḥ | brāhmaṇārthe ’pi vā prāṇān saṁtyajet tena śuddhyati |
Bhīṣma said: “If a man, becoming straightforward (without deceit), goes toward the south‑western quarter and falls down there, or even gives up his life for the sake of a brāhmaṇa, he becomes purified.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma presents extreme forms of expiation: purification can be attained through uncompromising sincerity and self-sacrifice, especially when one gives up life for the protection or welfare of a brāhmaṇa.
In Śānti Parva’s dharma-discourse, Bhīṣma is describing acts regarded as powerful atonements—going toward the south‑western quarter and falling down (a ritualized self-offering), or sacrificing one’s life for a brāhmaṇa—as means to remove grave impurity.