Shloka 11
Prāyaścitta and Contextual Non-Culpability (प्रायश्चित्त-निमित्त-अदोषवाद)
गवां शतसहसं्रं तु पात्रेभ्य: प्रतिपादयेत् । ब्रह्महा विप्रमुच्येत सर्वपापेभ्य एव च
gavāṁ śatasahasraṁ tu pātrebhyaḥ pratipādayet | brahmahā vipramucyeta sarvapāpebhya eva ca ||
Sinabi ni Vyāsa: Maging ang pumatay sa isang brāhmaṇa ay napapalaya: kung maayos niyang ipagkaloob ang isang daang libong baka sa mga karapat-dapat na tatanggap, siya’y napapalaya sa lahat ng kasalanan.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even grave wrongdoing is presented as remediable through prāyaścitta: vast, properly directed charity (here, gifting 100,000 cows to truly worthy recipients) is said to cleanse even the sin of brahmahatyā, emphasizing restitution, sincerity, and the importance of the recipient’s fitness (pātratā).
Vyāsa is stating a rule of expiation within a dharma-discourse: he describes a specific atonement—donating a hundred thousand cows to qualified recipients—and declares its power to free even a brahmahā from all sins.