Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 1
Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas and the Sin-destroying Power of Viṣṇu-smaraṇa
सनक उवाच । प्रायश्चित्तविधिं वक्ष्ये श्रृणु नारद सांप्रतम् । प्रायश्चित्तविशुद्धात्मा सर्वकर्मफलं लभेत् ॥ १ ॥
sanaka uvāca | prāyaścittavidhiṃ vakṣye śrṛṇu nārada sāṃpratam | prāyaścittaviśuddhātmā sarvakarmaphalaṃ labhet || 1 ||
Sanaka nói: Nay hãy lắng nghe, hỡi Nārada—ta sẽ giảng bày pháp thức prāyaścitta (sám hối, tẩy tịnh). Người có nội tâm được thanh tịnh nhờ prāyaścitta sẽ thọ nhận quả báo của mọi hành nghiệp.
Sanaka
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It establishes prāyaścitta as a purifying discipline: by removing inner taint from wrongdoing, a person becomes fit to receive the full spiritual and ritual fruits of karma.
While not directly teaching bhakti, it prepares the devotee for steady worship by emphasizing inner purification; a cleansed conscience and disciplined conduct support sincere devotion and consistent sādhana.
It points to Kalpa (ritual procedure) in practice—specifically dharma-śāstric prāyaścitta-vidhi—showing that correct expiatory rites and rules restore ritual purity and karmic order.