Shloka 18
Determination of Expiations: Purification after Forbidden Food, Impurity, and Transgression
प्राज्ञापत्यव्रतं कुर्य्याच्चांद्रायणव्रतं तु वा । सशिखं वपनं चैव पंचगव्यं पिबेत्ततः
prājñāpatyavrataṃ kuryyāccāṃdrāyaṇavrataṃ tu vā | saśikhaṃ vapanaṃ caiva paṃcagavyaṃ pibettataḥ
Hendaklah ia melaksanakan Prājāpatya-vrata, atau jika tidak, Cāndrāyaṇa-vrata; kemudian dengan mengekalkan śikhā, ia mencukur kepala, dan selepas itu meminum pañcagavya.
Unspecified (narrative injunction within Brahma-khaṇḍa context)
Concept: Serious impurities are remedied through structured vows (Prājāpatya or Cāndrāyaṇa) complemented by traditional purifiers like pañcagavya.
Application: Adopt a clear, time-bound corrective discipline after wrongdoing—pair inner resolve with outward acts that symbolize cleansing and recommitment.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A penitent completes a lunar-regulated vow under a night sky where the moon waxes and wanes, marking the Cāndrāyaṇa rhythm. At dawn, he undergoes a śikhā-preserving shave and receives pañcagavya in a consecrated bowl, while a small homa fire glows—signaling a return to purity.","primary_figures":["penitent","ācārya/priest","Agni (homa flame)","Moon (Chandra as celestial witness)"],"setting":"Open courtyard with a homa-kuṇḍa; a visible horizon for moon phases; ritual bowl for pañcagavya, kusa grass, and water pot arranged on a clean cloth.","lighting_mood":"moonlit","color_palette":["moon silver","midnight blue","saffron gold","smoke gray","holy basil green"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Chandra in the upper panel with halo, priest administering pañcagavya to the penitent, homa-kuṇḍa blazing; gold leaf on lunar halo and flames, rich reds/greens, ornate jewelry and borders, iconographic clarity.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: lyrical moonlit courtyard, delicate depiction of waxing/waning moon motif, penitent with śikhā, priest holding a small bowl; cool blues and silvers with gentle saffron highlights, refined faces and soft landscape.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, stylized moon disc, central ritual act of pañcagavya drinking, homa fire to the side; warm reds/yellows/greens with black contouring, temple-panel composition.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: devotional purification scene framed by lotus and vine borders; moon motifs repeated along the top border, central homa and offering bowl, deep blue ground with gold and white detailing, ornamental symmetry."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Bhupali","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["soft conch shell","gentle fire crackle","night insects","low mantra drone"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: कुर्य्याच्चांद्रायणव्रतं = कुर्यात् + च + चांद्रायणव्रतम्; चैव = च + एव; पिबेत्ततः = पिबेत् + ततः
FAQs
The verse prescribes standard prāyaścitta (expiation) options—either the Prājāpatya vow or the Cāndrāyaṇa vow—as recognized means of ritual and ethical purification in Dharmaśāstric practice.
Retaining the śikhā is a conventional marker of Vedic identity and ritual eligibility in many traditions; the instruction combines bodily austerity (tonsure) with maintaining a prescribed sign of religious discipline.
It emphasizes accountability and restoration: when impurity or fault is implied, one should adopt disciplined vows and purificatory rites to return to a state fit for sacred duties.