Shloka 17
Śuka’s Nirveda: Vyāsa’s Admonition on Dharma, Impermanence, and ‘Imperishable Wealth’ (अक्षय-धन)
लीलयाल्पं यथा गात्रात् प्रमृज्यात् तु रज: पुमान् | बहुयत्नेन च महत् पापनिर्हरणं तथा
līlayā alpaṁ yathā gātrāt pramṛjyāt tu rajaḥ pumān | bahu-yatnena ca mahat pāpa-nirharaṇaṁ tathā ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Seperti seorang lelaki dapat mengesat sedikit debu pada tubuhnya tanpa susah payah, tetapi untuk menanggalkan kotoran yang tebal perlu usaha yang besar; demikian juga dosa kecil terhapus dengan usaha yang kecil, sedangkan dosa besar hanya terhapus melalui penebusan (prāyaścitta) yang besar.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Moral purification should be proportionate: minor wrongdoing can be corrected with modest effort, but grave wrongdoing requires sustained, serious expiation and reform—like light dust versus deep grime on the body.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma teaches Yudhiṣṭhira through a practical simile, explaining how sins are removed according to their magnitude and the corresponding intensity of prāyaścitta.