Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 55
Dharmopadeśa-Śānti: Rules of Impurity, Expiations, and Ancestor Rites
पापं न क्षीयते हन्तुर्दाता च नरकं व्रजेत् । अश्रौतस्मार्तविहितं प्रायश्चित्तं वदन्ति ये ॥ ५५ ॥
pāpaṃ na kṣīyate hanturdātā ca narakaṃ vrajet | aśrautasmārtavihitaṃ prāyaścittaṃ vadanti ye || 55 ||
O pecado do assassino não se extingue, e aquele que autoriza ou encomenda o ato vai ao inferno—assim dizem os que prescrevem prāyaścitta, expiações não sancionadas pela Śruti e pela Smṛti.
Sanatkumara (in dialogue with Narada)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
It asserts that expiation must be rooted in Śruti and Smṛti; otherwise, the moral stain of grave acts like killing is not truly purified, and even the instigator accrues severe demerit.
By emphasizing scriptural alignment, it indirectly supports Bhakti as disciplined devotion guided by authentic śāstra—devotional life is not merely sentiment but must harmonize with dharma and valid injunctions.
Dharma-prayoga grounded in authoritative sources: it points to the necessity of correct scriptural reasoning (linked to Kalpa/Dharma traditions) when applying prāyaścitta and ritual-legal prescriptions.