Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 45
Dharmopadeśa-Śānti: Rules of Impurity, Expiations, and Ancestor Rites
प्रायश्चित्तं स्मृतं तत्र शस्त्रे शस्त्रे निगद्यते । काष्टे सान्तपनं प्रोक्तं प्राजापत्यं तु लोष्टके ॥ ४५ ॥
prāyaścittaṃ smṛtaṃ tatra śastre śastre nigadyate | kāṣṭe sāntapanaṃ proktaṃ prājāpatyaṃ tu loṣṭake || 45 ||
அந்த இடத்தில் ஆயுதம் ஒவ்வொன்றிற்கும் உரிய பிராயச்சித்தம் தனித்தனியாக கூறப்பட்டுள்ளது. மரத்தால் (தீங்கு) ஏற்பட்டால் சாந்தபனமும், மண் கட்டியால் ஏற்பட்டால் பிராஜாபத்யமும் விதிக்கப்பட்டது।
Sanatkumara (in instruction to Narada)
Vrata: Sāntapana (as prāyaścitta-vrata) / Prājāpatya (as prāyaścitta-vrata)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: none
FAQs
It teaches proportional atonement: wrongdoing is purified through a prāyaścitta matched to the instrument and gravity of harm, restoring dharmic balance through disciplined vrata.
While primarily a dharma-ritual rule, it supports bhakti indirectly by emphasizing purity and self-restraint—foundational disciplines that make worship and remembrance of the Divine steady and sincere.
It reflects Kalpa (ritual procedure) in the form of prāyaścitta-vidhi—how specific penances like Sāntapana and Prājāpatya are assigned to particular transgressions.