Prāyaścitta for Faults (Water/Fire/Confinement), Child Culpability, and Purification in Menstruation and Illness-Contact
भूदानादिनिरूपणं नाम द्विचत्वारिंशतमो ऽध्यायः श्रीविष्णुरुवाच / जलाग्निबन्धनभ्रष्टा प्रव्रज्यानाशकच्युताः / ऐन्दवाभ्यां विशुध्यन्ति दत्त्वा धेनुं तथा वृषम्
bhūdānādinirūpaṇaṃ nāma dvicatvāriṃśatamo 'dhyāyaḥ śrīviṣṇuruvāca / jalāgnibandhanabhraṣṭā pravrajyānāśakacyutāḥ / aindavābhyāṃ viśudhyanti dattvā dhenuṃ tathā vṛṣam
Sri Vishnu bersabda: Mereka yang terjatuh ke dalam kesalahan berkaitan air, api, atau ikatan tahanan yang tidak benar, serta mereka yang tersasar daripada disiplin pelepasan diri (pravrajya) dan pemeliharaan upacara suci, disucikan melalui penyucian Chandra (sejuk) dan Surya (membakar), dengan menderma seekor lembu betina dan كذلك seekor lembu jantan.
Lord Vishnu
Concept: Prāyaścitta and dāna as means to restore ritual and moral purity after specific lapses.
Vedantic Theme: Karma (doṣa–śuddhi) and the purificatory power of sattvic acts offered in a dharmic frame.
Application: When one violates restraints or incurs impurity, undertake appropriate expiation and compensate through ethical giving (e.g., cow/bull-dāna) under guidance of dharma authorities.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Related Themes: Garuda Purana (Preta-kalpa/Dharma-kanda): prāyaścitta and dāna sections; go-dāna and vṛṣa-dāna praised as purifiers in multiple adhyāyas
This verse presents dhenu-dāna as a direct means of purification (prāyaścitta), especially for serious lapses and ritual/ethical faults, indicating charity as a dharmic remedy.
It links specific categories of transgression (faults tied to water, fire, confinement, and lapses from renunciant/ritual discipline) with a prescribed corrective act—gifting a cow and a bull—framed as lunar and solar purification.
Treat harm done through negligence or misuse of essential forces (like water/fire/power over others) as requiring restitution: practice responsible conduct, support ethical charities/care for cattle or equivalent welfare causes, and restore disciplined spiritual practice.