Shloka 23
Prāyaścitta and Contextual Non-Culpability (प्रायश्चित्त-निमित्त-अदोषवाद)
अनृतेनोपवर्ती चेत् प्रतिरोद्धा गुरोस्तथा । उपाहत्य प्रियं तस्मै तस्मात् पापात् प्रमुच्यते
anṛtenopavartī cet pratiroddhā guros tathā | upāhatya priyaṁ tasmai tasmāt pāpāt pramucyate ||
毗耶娑说：若有人以虚妄为生，或曾阻挠并冒犯其师长；若能以师长所爱、所悦之物奉献，使师长复得欢心，则可从彼罪中解脱。此颂将赎罪视为：并非否认过失，而是以真诚的安抚与补偿，修复被破坏的敬师之关系。
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Wrongdoing such as living by falsehood or offending one’s teacher can be mitigated through prāyaścitta that repairs the harm—specifically, by sincerely pleasing the guru with a valued offering, restoring respect and right relationship.
In the didactic discourse of Śānti Parva, Vyāsa states a rule of expiation: a person guilty of deceitful livelihood or of obstructing/insulting the guru can be freed from that sin by making amends—giving the guru something pleasing and thereby obtaining the guru’s satisfaction.