Shloka 18
Determination of Expiations: Purification after Forbidden Food, Impurity, and Transgression
प्राज्ञापत्यव्रतं कुर्य्याच्चांद्रायणव्रतं तु वा । सशिखं वपनं चैव पंचगव्यं पिबेत्ततः
prājñāpatyavrataṃ kuryyāccāṃdrāyaṇavrataṃ tu vā | saśikhaṃ vapanaṃ caiva paṃcagavyaṃ pibettataḥ
آدمی پرَاجاپتیہ ورت کرے، یا پھر چاندْرایَن ورت؛ اور شِکھا باقی رکھ کر سر منڈوائے، پھر اس کے بعد پنچ گویہ نوش کرے۔
Unspecified (narrative injunction within Brahma-khaṇḍa context)
Concept: Serious impurities are remedied through structured vows (Prājāpatya or Cāndrāyaṇa) complemented by traditional purifiers like pañcagavya.
Application: Adopt a clear, time-bound corrective discipline after wrongdoing—pair inner resolve with outward acts that symbolize cleansing and recommitment.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A penitent completes a lunar-regulated vow under a night sky where the moon waxes and wanes, marking the Cāndrāyaṇa rhythm. At dawn, he undergoes a śikhā-preserving shave and receives pañcagavya in a consecrated bowl, while a small homa fire glows—signaling a return to purity.","primary_figures":["penitent","ācārya/priest","Agni (homa flame)","Moon (Chandra as celestial witness)"],"setting":"Open courtyard with a homa-kuṇḍa; a visible horizon for moon phases; ritual bowl for pañcagavya, kusa grass, and water pot arranged on a clean cloth.","lighting_mood":"moonlit","color_palette":["moon silver","midnight blue","saffron gold","smoke gray","holy basil green"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: Chandra in the upper panel with halo, priest administering pañcagavya to the penitent, homa-kuṇḍa blazing; gold leaf on lunar halo and flames, rich reds/greens, ornate jewelry and borders, iconographic clarity.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: lyrical moonlit courtyard, delicate depiction of waxing/waning moon motif, penitent with śikhā, priest holding a small bowl; cool blues and silvers with gentle saffron highlights, refined faces and soft landscape.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, stylized moon disc, central ritual act of pañcagavya drinking, homa fire to the side; warm reds/yellows/greens with black contouring, temple-panel composition.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: devotional purification scene framed by lotus and vine borders; moon motifs repeated along the top border, central homa and offering bowl, deep blue ground with gold and white detailing, ornamental symmetry."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Bhupali","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["soft conch shell","gentle fire crackle","night insects","low mantra drone"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: कुर्य्याच्चांद्रायणव्रतं = कुर्यात् + च + चांद्रायणव्रतम्; चैव = च + एव; पिबेत्ततः = पिबेत् + ततः
FAQs
The verse prescribes standard prāyaścitta (expiation) options—either the Prājāpatya vow or the Cāndrāyaṇa vow—as recognized means of ritual and ethical purification in Dharmaśāstric practice.
Retaining the śikhā is a conventional marker of Vedic identity and ritual eligibility in many traditions; the instruction combines bodily austerity (tonsure) with maintaining a prescribed sign of religious discipline.
It emphasizes accountability and restoration: when impurity or fault is implied, one should adopt disciplined vows and purificatory rites to return to a state fit for sacred duties.