Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 91
Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas and the Sin-destroying Power of Viṣṇu-smaraṇa
प्रायश्चित्तं तु तेषां च कुर्यादेवं यथाविधि । प्रायश्चित्तानि यः कुर्यान्नारायणपरायणः ॥ ९१ ॥
prāyaścittaṃ tu teṣāṃ ca kuryādevaṃ yathāvidhi | prāyaścittāni yaḥ kuryānnārāyaṇaparāyaṇaḥ || 91 ||
Đối với họ cũng vậy, hãy làm các nghi thức sám hối (prāyaścitta) đúng như phép, theo đúng quy tắc. Ai thực hành những sự sám hối ấy phải làm với tâm nương tựa trọn vẹn nơi Nārāyaṇa.
Sanatkumara (in instruction to Narada, within the Narada–Sanatkumara dialogue)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It teaches that expiation is not merely a mechanical ritual: it must be performed correctly (yathāvidhi) and with the inner stance of surrender to Nārāyaṇa, making repentance and purification spiritually transformative.
Bhakti is presented as the governing intention behind even corrective rites—one performs prāyaścitta as a Nārāyaṇa-parāyaṇa, placing God at the center rather than ego, fear, or social pressure.
The emphasis on yathāvidhi points to Kalpa (ritual procedure) and Dharmashastra-style rule-following—doing expiations with proper method, sequence, and injunction-based discipline.