Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 17
Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas and the Sin-destroying Power of Viṣṇu-smaraṇa
हत्वा तु विप्रमात्रं च चरेत्संवत्सरं व्रतम् । एवं विप्रस्य गदितः प्रायश्चित्तविधिर्द्विज ॥ १७ ॥
hatvā tu vipramātraṃ ca caretsaṃvatsaraṃ vratam | evaṃ viprasya gaditaḥ prāyaścittavidhirdvija || 17 ||
لیکن اگر صرف ایک برہمن کو قتل کیا ہو تو ایک سال تک کفّارے کا ورت کرے۔ اے دُویج! اس طرح برہمن وध کا پرायشچتّ وِدھان بیان کیا گیا ہے॥۱۷॥
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada)
Vrata: saṃvatsara-vrata (one-year expiatory vow)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
It frames prāyaścitta as a dharmic remedy: grave harm done to a Brāhmaṇa requires sustained self-restraint and ritual discipline (a year-long vrata) to purify the doer and restore moral order.
While primarily dharma-focused, it supports bhakti indirectly by emphasizing purification (śuddhi) through vrata; such purification is treated in Purāṇic teaching as a prerequisite for steady devotion and worship.
It reflects Kalpa (ritual procedure) through the idea of a defined prāyaścitta-vidhi and a time-bound vrata (one year), indicating structured rules for expiation within dharma-ritual practice.