Shloka 54
Prāyaścitta for Food-Contact, Social Contact, Aśauca Periods, and Formal Penance Systems
कृतपापश्चरेद्रोधे द्वौ पादौ बन्धयन्पशोः / सर्वकृच्छ्रं निपानेस्यात्कान्तारे गृहदाहतः
kṛtapāpaścaredrodhe dvau pādau bandhayanpaśoḥ / sarvakṛcchraṃ nipānesyātkāntāre gṛhadāhataḥ
కోపంతో పాపి జంతువின் రెండు కాళ్లను కట్టివేస్తే, అతడు ‘సర్వకృచ్ఛ్ర’ ప్రాయశ్చిత్తం ఆచరించాలి; అతని స్థితి నీటి దగ్గర దాహంతో బాధపడేవాడిలా, అరణ్యంలో దారి తప్పినవాడిలా, ఇల్లు కాలిపోయినవాడిలా అవుతుంది।
Lord Vishnu (in discourse to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Concept: Cruel acts done in anger generate intense duḥkha; sarva-kṛcchra penance is prescribed to counteract the karmic stain.
Vedantic Theme: Krodha as rajas-driven bondage; purification through tapas to restore sattva and ethical clarity.
Application: Cultivate anger-management and non-violence toward animals; if harm occurs, accept disciplined corrective practice and reparative action rather than rationalization.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: liminal landscape (water-source; forest)
Related Themes: Garuda Purana: repeated linkage of hiṃsā (especially toward cows/animals) with heavy prāyaścitta; Garuda Purana: catalogues of kṛcchra and sarva-kṛcchra as standard expiations
FAQs
This verse shows that specific harmful acts—especially cruelty done in anger—create karmic burden that should be countered through defined expiations like sarva-kṛcchra, restoring dharmic balance before one faces post-death consequences.
By prescribing sarva-kṛcchra for binding an animal’s feet in anger and describing intense hardship (thirst, wilderness, house-burnt misery), the verse frames animal-cruelty as a serious sin that produces severe suffering unless purified.
Avoid anger-based harm or restraint of animals, practice compassion (ahiṃsā), and when one has caused harm, take responsibility through repentance, corrective service, and disciplined self-restraint aligned with dharma.