Shloka 17
Śuka’s Nirveda: Vyāsa’s Admonition on Dharma, Impermanence, and ‘Imperishable Wealth’ (अक्षय-धन)
लीलयाल्पं यथा गात्रात् प्रमृज्यात् तु रज: पुमान् | बहुयत्नेन च महत् पापनिर्हरणं तथा
līlayā alpaṁ yathā gātrāt pramṛjyāt tu rajaḥ pumān | bahu-yatnena ca mahat pāpa-nirharaṇaṁ tathā ||
毗湿摩说道：“正如人能轻易拭去身上的些许尘土，但要除去厚重污垢则须大费力气；同样，小罪以小小努力即可消除，而大罪唯有凭借重大的忏悔与赎罪（prāyaścitta）方能净除。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Moral purification should be proportionate: minor wrongdoing can be corrected with modest effort, but grave wrongdoing requires sustained, serious expiation and reform—like light dust versus deep grime on the body.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma teaches Yudhiṣṭhira through a practical simile, explaining how sins are removed according to their magnitude and the corresponding intensity of prāyaścitta.