Shloka 24
Determination of Expiations: Purification after Forbidden Food, Impurity, and Transgression
गोमूत्रं गोमयं क्षीरं दधिसर्पिः कुशोदकम् । दिनद्वयं पिबेद्विप्र चैकरात्रमुपोषितः । सर्वपापहरं कृच्छ्रं मुने सांतपनं स्मृतम्
gomūtraṃ gomayaṃ kṣīraṃ dadhisarpiḥ kuśodakam | dinadvayaṃ pibedvipra caikarātramupoṣitaḥ | sarvapāpaharaṃ kṛcchraṃ mune sāṃtapanaṃ smṛtam
గోమూత్రం, గోమయం, పాలు, పెరుగు, నెయ్యి, కుశజలం—ఒక రాత్రి ఉపవాసం చేసి బ్రాహ్మణుడు రెండు రోజులు ఇవి పానము చేయాలి. ఓ మునీ! సర్వపాపహరమైన ఈ కృచ్ఛ్రం ‘సాంతపన’గా ప్రసిద్ధం.
Unspecified (narrative voice addressing a sage: 'mune')
Concept: Prāyaścitta through regulated intake and sattvic substances can burn accumulated pāpa and restore ritual-ethical purity.
Application: Adopt disciplined restraint (food/speech/senses) and simple purificatory routines; treat atonement as a return to dharma rather than self-punishment; pair any penance with Viṣṇu-smaraṇa and charity.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A quiet āśrama courtyard at dawn: a dvija sits facing east, kusa grass laid in a small copper vessel, while the six purifiers are arranged in earthen bowls. The atmosphere is restrained and luminous, suggesting inner cleansing rather than spectacle, with a sage listening nearby as the teaching is recited.","primary_figures":["dvija (brahmin practitioner)","muni (listener)","teaching narrator (unseen/voice)"],"setting":"forest-āśrama courtyard with a small yajña-vedi, earthen pots, kusa bundles, and a gentle cow in the background","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["sandalwood beige","copper bronze","leaf green","milk white","saffron ochre"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: an austere āśrama dawn scene with a seated brahmin facing east, copper kalasha and earthen bowls holding pañcagavya and kusa-infused water, a calm cow behind; gold leaf halo-like radiance around the ritual vessels, rich vermilion and emerald accents, gem-studded borders, traditional South Indian iconographic symmetry emphasizing purity and restraint.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: delicate brushwork showing a quiet hermitage courtyard, a brahmin with simple white cloth and sacred thread, kusa grass and small bowls arranged neatly; cool morning air, soft Himalayan-like greens, lyrical naturalism, refined faces, distant trees and a streamlet suggesting inner cleansing.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines and natural pigments depicting the dvija and muni in an āśrama, ritual vessels prominent, cow as auspicious presence; warm red/yellow/green palette, temple-wall aesthetic, large expressive eyes, rhythmic composition centered on the copper pot and kusa.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: a devotional purity tableau with ornate floral borders and lotus motifs framing a simple āśrama ritual; cows and peacocks at the margins, deep indigo background with gold highlights, central focus on sanctifying vessels and kusa, suggesting preparation for Viṣṇu-pūjā."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["temple bells (distant)","morning birds","soft wind through trees","water poured into a vessel","silence between phrases"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: पिबेद्विप्र = पिबेत् + विप्र; चैकरात्रम् = च + एकरात्रम्; एकरात्रमुपोषितः = एकरात्रम् + उपोषितः (अम् + उ → म् उ)
FAQs
It outlines the Sāṃtapana kṛcchra, an expiatory austerity involving a one-night fast followed by drinking a prescribed set of cow-derived substances and kuśa-infused water for two days.
Kuśa (darbha) is a standard purificatory element in Vedic-ritual contexts; kuśa-infused water is treated as ritually cleansing and suitable for prayāścitta procedures.
It presents disciplined self-restraint and ritual expiation (prayāścitta) as a means of moral purification—framing atonement as structured practice rather than mere verbal regret.