Shloka 1
Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas (Great Sins), Vows, Tīrtha, and Sin-Destroying Observances
नामैकपञ्चाशत्तमो ऽध्यायः ब्रह्मोवाच / अतः परं प्रवक्ष्यामि प्रायश्चित्तविधिं द्विजाः / ब्रह्महा च सुरापश्च स्तेयी च गुरुतल्पगः
nāmaikapañcāśattamo 'dhyāyaḥ brahmovāca / ataḥ paraṃ pravakṣyāmi prāyaścittavidhiṃ dvijāḥ / brahmahā ca surāpaśca steyī ca gurutalpagaḥ
Chương 52. Phạm Thiên nói: “Nay, hỡi các bậc nhị sinh, ta sẽ giảng về pháp thức sám hối (prāyaścitta). Những điều này áp dụng cho kẻ sát hại Bà-la-môn, kẻ uống rượu say, kẻ trộm cắp, và kẻ xâm phạm giường của bậc thầy (guru).”
Brahmā
Concept: Prāyaścitta for mahāpātakas (great sins) as a means to restore dharma and ritual-social purity.
Vedantic Theme: Karma-bandha and its mitigation through prescribed discipline; ethical causality within varṇāśrama order.
Application: Recognize gravity of core transgressions; seek qualified guidance and undertake appropriate expiation rather than denial or concealment.
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Related Themes: Garuda Purana (Dharma/Preta sections): prāyaścitta and pāpa classifications recur across dharma-nirūpaṇa passages
FAQs
This verse introduces prāyaścitta as a structured dharmic method for purification and atonement, especially for grave transgressions, indicating that moral repair is addressed through specific rules rather than vague remorse alone.
By foregrounding expiation for major sins, it implies that karmic consequences can be mitigated through prescribed purification—linking ethical conduct and ritual discipline to the soul’s post-death trajectory discussed elsewhere in the Purana.
Treat wrongdoing as requiring concrete correction: acknowledge harm, stop the act, adopt disciplined restitution and self-restraint, and follow one’s tradition’s ethical/ritual remedies under qualified guidance.