संधेयासंधेय-पुरुषनिर्णयः (Criteria for Allies and Non-Allies) — with the opening of the Gautama narrative
सुरापो5सम्मतादायी भ्रूणहा गुरुतल्पग: । तपसैव सुतप्तेन नर: पापात् प्रमुच्यते
bhīṣma uvāca | surāpo 'sammatādāyī bhrūṇahā gurutalpagaḥ | tapasaiva sutaptena naraḥ pāpāt pramucyate ||
毗湿摩说道:即便是嗜酒者、未经同意取人财物者、杀害胎儿者,以及玷污师长之床者(犯师妻者)——此等之人也唯有凭真正严峻而深切的苦行(tapas),方能从罪业中解脱。
भीष्म उवाच
Even the gravest moral transgressions are said to be removable through genuinely intense tapas (austerity/penance). The emphasis is on inner discipline and sustained self-purification as the effective means of expiation.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and moral repair, Bhishma teaches Yudhiṣṭhira about prāyaścitta: he lists severe sins and states that a person becomes freed from their taint through well-performed austerity.