Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 4
Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas and the Sin-destroying Power of Viṣṇu-smaraṇa
प्रायश्चित्तानि चीर्णानि नारायणपराङ्मुखैः । न निष्पुनंति विप्रेंद्र सुराभांडमिवापगाः ॥ ४ ॥
prāyaścittāni cīrṇāni nārāyaṇaparāṅmukhaiḥ | na niṣpunaṃti vipreṃdra surābhāṃḍamivāpagāḥ || 4 ||
Wahai yang terbaik antara para Brāhmaṇa, segala penebusan (prāyaścitta) yang dilakukan oleh mereka yang berpaling daripada Nārāyaṇa tidak menyucikan mereka—seperti sungai tidak mampu membersihkan bejana yang penuh arak.
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It teaches that ritual expiation alone is insufficient; purification becomes effective only when one is oriented toward Nārāyaṇa, because inner devotion is the decisive purifier.
By contrasting penance with Godwardness, it implies that bhakti to Nārāyaṇa is the essential condition that makes all dharmic acts—including prāyaścitta—truly cleansing and transformative.
Ritual knowledge (Kalpa) is implied: expiatory rites have procedural validity, but the verse stresses their intended outcome (śuddhi/purification) depends on the practitioner’s devotional alignment, not mere performance.