Shloka 50
Adhyāya 166: Kṛtaghna-doṣa (कृतघ्नदोषः) — the fault of ingratitude and the limits of expiation
अथवा शिश्रवृषणावादायाञ्जलिना स्वयम्,अथवा अपने शिश्न और अण्डकोषको स्वयं ही काटकर अगज्जलिमें लेकर सीधे नैरऋत्य-दिशाकी ओर जाता हुआ गिर पड़े या ब्राह्मणके लिये प्राणोंका परित्याग कर दे तो शुद्ध हो जाता है
athavā śiśna-vṛṣaṇau ādāya añjalinā svayam, athavā ātmanaḥ śiśna-aṇḍakośau svayam eva chittvā agra-añjalau gṛhītvā ṛjuṃ nairṛtīṃ diśaṃ gacchan patet; athavā brāhmaṇārthe prāṇān parityajet, tataḥ śuddho bhavati.
Bhishma said: Alternatively, taking his penis and testicles in his own cupped hands—or else cutting off his own penis and scrotum himself, holding them in his joined palms, and proceeding straight toward the south‑western quarter until he falls down—or, again, if he gives up his life for the sake of a Brahmin, he becomes purified. The passage frames extreme self‑sacrifice and life‑offering as expiatory acts, presenting a severe ethic of atonement tied to protecting or serving a Brahmin.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents an austere model of prāyaścitta (expiation): purification is said to be attained through extreme self-denial or even life-offering, especially when undertaken for the protection or benefit of a Brahmin. It reflects a dharma framework where certain grave faults are countered by equally grave acts of renunciation and sacrifice.
In Bhishma’s instruction during the Śānti Parva, he lists alternative expiatory acts. These include self-mutilation carried as an ‘offering’ in joined palms while moving toward the south‑western quarter (associated with Nirṛti), or the ultimate act of giving up one’s life for a Brahmin—each stated to result in purification.