Shloka 27

Prāyaścitta and Contextual Non-Culpability (प्रायश्चित्त-निमित्त-अदोषवाद)

Devanagari script

कृच्छाद्‌ द्वादशरात्रेण संयतात्मा व्रते स्थित: । परिवेत्ता भवेत्‌ पूत: परिवित्तिस्तथैव च

Transliteration

kṛcchrād dvādaśarātreṇa saṃyatātmā vrate sthitaḥ | parivettā bhavet pūtaḥ parivittis tathaiva ca ||

Translation

ਬਾਰਾਂ ਰਾਤਾਂ ਕ੍ਰਿਚ੍ਛ੍ਰ-ਵ੍ਰਤ ਦਾ ਅਨੁਸ਼ਠਾਨ ਕਰਕੇ, ਮਨ ਨੂੰ ਸੰਯਮ ਵਿੱਚ ਰੱਖ ਕੇ ਅਤੇ ਵ੍ਰਤ ਵਿੱਚ ਅਡੋਲ ਰਹਿ ਕੇ—ਜੋ ਛੋਟਾ ਭਰਾ ਵੱਡੇ ਭਰਾ ਦੇ ਅਵਿਵਾਹਿਤ ਰਹਿੰਦਿਆਂ ਹੀ ਵਿਆਹ ਕਰ ਲੈਂਦਾ ਹੈ, ਉਹ ਸ਼ੁੱਧ ਹੋ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ; ਅਤੇ ਜਿਸ ਨੂੰ ‘ਪਰਿਵਿੱਤ’ ਕੀਤਾ ਗਿਆ ਉਹ ਵੱਡਾ ਭਰਾ ਵੀ ਉਸੇ ਤਰ੍ਹਾਂ ਸ਼ੁੱਧ ਹੋ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।

Word by Word

• कृच्छात्: from/through the Kṛcchra (penance)
• कृच्छात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृच्छ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• द्वादशरात्रेण: by (observance lasting) twelve nights
• द्वादशरात्रेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वादशरात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• संयतात्मा: self-controlled
• संयतात्मा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संयतात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• व्रते: in the vow/observance
• व्रते: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• स्थितः: standing/remaining (engaged)
• स्थितः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु) / स्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• परिवेत्ता: the younger brother who marries before the elder
• परिवेत्ता: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: परिवेत्तृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• भवेत्: would become
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), Third, Singular

• पूतः: purified
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पू (धातु) / पूत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• परिवित्तिः: the elder brother who remains unmarried (while the younger marries)
• परिवित्तिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: परिवित्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• तथा: thus/likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• एव: indeed/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• parivettā (younger brother marrying first)
• parivitti (elder brother passed over)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

When the customary marital order between elder and younger brothers is disrupted, dharma prescribes purification through disciplined atonement: both the one who ‘oversteps’ (parivettā) and the one who is ‘passed over’ (parivitti) can be cleansed by a twelve-night Kṛcchra observance performed with self-control.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa is laying down a rule of prāyaścitta (expiation) in a dharma-discussion context: he specifies that a twelve-night Kṛcchra vow, undertaken with mental restraint, purifies both brothers involved in the situation where the younger marries while the elder remains unmarried.