Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 39
Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas and the Sin-destroying Power of Viṣṇu-smaraṇa
कपालध्वजहीनं तु ब्रह्महत्याव्रतं चरेत् । गुरुणां यज्ञकतॄणां धार्मिष्टानां तथैव च ॥ ३९ ॥
kapāladhvajahīnaṃ tu brahmahatyāvrataṃ caret | guruṇāṃ yajñakatṝṇāṃ dhārmiṣṭānāṃ tathaiva ca || 39 ||
कपालध्वजवर्जितः सन् ब्रह्महत्याप्रायश्चित्तव्रतं चरेत्। गुरुषु यज्ञकर्तृषु धार्मिष्ठेषु चापि तथा विधिवत् प्रायश्चित्तं समाचरेत्॥
Sanatkumara (in instruction to Narada, within the dharma/prāyaścitta discourse)
Vrata: brahmahatyā-vrata (prāyaścitta-vrata)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
It emphasizes that expiation (prāyaścitta) must be performed with restraint and humility, and that offenses connected with highly revered persons—teachers, ritual performers, and the righteous—require careful, dharmic penitential observance.
Indirectly, it supports bhakti by insisting on moral purification: sincere penitential practice removes obstacles (pāpa and guilt) that hinder steady remembrance and worship, even though the verse itself is framed in vrata/prāyaścitta terms rather than direct devotional instruction.
Kalpa (ritual procedure) is implied—how vows and expiations are to be undertaken, including symbolic observances (like a dhvaja/standard) and differentiated rules based on the status of the person involved (guru, yajña-performer, dhārmic person).